In the Blink of an Eye
by fireblazie
Summary: AU. He was a prince. She was a mere personal servant. They were never supposed to meet. But as we all know, fate often has other plans.. HxK.
1. Chance Meeting

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan. Complete list of credits at the end, as usual.

**In the Blink of an Eye -** AU. He was a prince; she was a mere personal servant. They were never supposed to meet. But as we all know, fate often has other plans.. HxK.

**Chapter 1**: Chance Meeting

"Don't move," Heiji ordered him.

Shinichi glared. "You'd better not miss."

Heiji waved him off. "Don't worry," he said. "I've done this before."

Shinichi looked slightly relieved.

"I'm sure I won't miss this time."

Heiji released the arrow and Shinichi froze. The arrow split the apple perfectly in half. Shinichi warily took the apple off of his head and turned around to see where the arrow had landed on the trunk of an oak tree.

"If you had missed by just an inch," Shinichi hissed, "I would've killed you."

"No, no," Heiji said, shaking his head imperiously, "_if I had missed by an inch, **I** would have killed **you**_."

Shinichi threw one half of the apple at him, hitting him squarely in the face. "Between you and Kuroba, I don't know who I hate more."

"You know you wouldn't be able to live without me."

"Hah. Want to find out?" Shinichi held up the bow and arrow.

_"Do it and you pull back a stub."_

/-/

"That's right," Ran told her, "we're going to the Kingdom of the West - that's where Shinichi said he'd meet me."

A ponytailed girl in a plain brown dress continued to pack Ran's things. "I just can't believe that you're letting me go with you," she said. "I'm only a servant, after all.."

"Nonsense!" Ran declared. "You're one of my best friends - always have been, always will be. It's only right that I let you meet my fiancé, right?"

The other girl smiled. "I guess so."

"None of this polite business, you hear?" Ran said. "I don't want to hear 'Lady Ran' this and 'Lady Ran' that. It's strictly Ran-chan from this point on. I know that we have to do it when we're around the elders, but when it's just you and me and Shinichi.. oh, and Hattori-kun too, it's fine to drop the formalities."

The ponytailed girl had had enough of trying to argue with Ran about this subject. "Fine, fine!" she said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "You're one of the most stubborn people I've ever met, Ran-chan."

Ran stuck her tongue out at her. "It's your fault for dealing with me for this long, you know?"

"You know you wouldn't be able to live without me. You've driven out all of your other personal servants."

Ran pouted. "Oh, come on. I'm not that bad."

The other girl snorted.

"It'll be great, though," Ran continued, smiling widely. "A month at the castle, while we get the preparations ready. And you can go out and have some fun, too! Just be careful, okay, Kazuha-chan?"

The ponytailed girl lifted her head from her packing and met her eyes. "Yes, yes, I will."

/-/

The journey to the kingdom took a little over a day, and they reached the castle by sundown. Kazuha had almost fallen asleep when the carriage came to an abrupt and violent halt. She banged her head against the door as a result, muttering profanities under her breath.

Ran giggled at her friend's antics as the carriage driver stepped out and opened the door for her. "Hey, Kazuha-chan, I'm going to go ahead..." She looked a little apologetic at this point, and Kazuha rolled her eyes at her.

"It's fine, it really is," she reassured her. Though she couldn't help but feel just a little hurt, nonetheless. "I know my place, and you know yours. Go over there already and greet the king and queen! I'll be in your room.." Kazuha trailed off, eyeing the large castle, "..wherever it is."

Ran smiled gratefully. "And you know I love you for it, Kazuha-chan." She was about to take off for the castle when she paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and glared at her. "And don't you dare try to bring all of our luggage up by yourself! It's much too heavy for you! Get the driver to help you -" she flashed the driver a kind smile, " - I'm sure he won't mind."

The driver bowed deeply.

Kazuha mentally thought that she'd rather die a million different deaths than even **consider** asking that rat for help. She crossed her fingers behind her back. "Of course, Lady Ran." Ran frowned at the formality, but then the driver cleared his throat and she had no choice but to exit the carriage.

Kazuha watched her retreating back.

_Don't be ridiculous_, she berated herself,_ you ought to consider yourself lucky that Ran-chan's pushed for you this far. Without her, you'd still be living on the streets.._

That's right. Ran had done so much for her already. The least she could do was be a good servant. She jumped off the carriage and carefully placed all the luggage on the floor - three heavy, wooden trunks.

The driver had already gotten inside and was driving away. Kazuha stuck her tongue at him and had half a mind to throw a particularly large rock she'd had her eye on at him..

She sighed, and began to drag the trunks behind her.

/-/

"Shinichi!" Ran joyously bounded for her fiancé, who took her into his arms. Heiji made a loud display of pretending to gag on the floor, and the couple pulled apart.

"Yes, Hattori, what are you, three?"

"I don't appreciate being treated to the sight of you ramming your tongue down her throat," Heiji replied easily, and Shinichi threw - what looked like one half of a dried apple to Ran - at Heiji, which bounced off his head.

"If you two are finished," Ran cut in, pretending to look annoyed - although a smile twitched at her lips - "why don't we -" and was cut off by a sudden scraping noise outside the door. She furrowed her brow and glanced at the other two.

"CRAP!" There was an explosion outside the door. Shinichi and Heiji looked equally bewildered, but an expression of dawning realization had made its way onto Ran's face.

"No way," she said, slowly making her way to the door. "No way.."

She opened the door.

And gasped.

On the floor was a disheveled and thoroughly angry Kazuha. Three large trunks - the ones Ran recognized as the ones she'd packed earlier - sat behind her. Kazuha's hands were red and raw, undoubtedly from dragging the trunks behind her all this while.

"Oh, Kazuha-chan!" Ran rushed over to her friend.

"I'm fine," Kazuha lied, hiding her hands behind her back.

"No, you're not!" Ran insisted. "Give me your hands," she then said, in a tone that promised pain if not obeyed instantly, "now."

Kazuha reluctantly let her see her hands.

Ran let out a small hiss of sympathy pain. Thick ropes had been tied around the trunks, and pulling at the ropes so much had rubbed Kazuha's hands raw. "Oh," she said, shaking her head.

A new voice joined the group, and Kazuha kept her head bent low, already embarrassed enough. "You know," this new voice said, rough and sarcastic, "you're pretty stupid."

Kazuha's head snapped up. She couldn't get a clear view of this stranger's face, for the shadows had fallen in exactly the right places. "Who are you calling stupid?" she demanded.

"**You**, idiot."

Kazuha huffed angrily and glared at Ran. "Please tell me he's not the one you're marrying."

Ran wore an expression that was a cross between amusement and worry. "No, Kazuha-chan, he's not."

"Thank god.."

"Who **is** she, anyway?" That same rude voice cut in.

"She's my friend," Ran replied, defensively.

"You don't have to do that," Kazuha said to her, and turning to this mystery jerk, "I'm her personal servant. Got a problem with that?"

"Come on," Ran pleaded. She turned to the other man, "Hattori-kun.."

Kazuha choked. "Ha - Hattori -? As in, the **prince** -"

"That's right." And the prince of the Kingdom of the West, Hattori Heiji, turned his head and Kazuha got a clear view of his face - and, dear god, his gorgeous, dreamy eyes - for the very first time.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she saw an identical expression of shock in his face, as well.

From that point on, nothing would ever the same again...

/ to be continued /

Random Notes: Ookay, the line where Heiji goes, "if I had missed by an inch, **I** would have killed **you**," was taken directly from **Lyn Jarewo Wors-chan**'s mouth. xD Seriously, it was!

The line where Heiji once again says, "Do it and you pull back a stub" was taken from an episode of Charmed... ehh, Piper was the one who said it, I believe.. she was all pregnant and Morris was about to touch her belly and she just snaps at him.. xDD

Lols, well, I suppose you could say that I'm on a total writing spree. Can't stop writing! xD I honestly can't. I think part of it is because school's starting in a week - GAH! NO! - so I'm trying to get as much done as possible. Well, I hope you like this ficcie so far, and I shall shut up now. (smiles)


	2. Heartbeat

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan; complete list of credits at the bottom.

**In the Blink of an Eye**

Chapter 2: Heartbeat

Kazuha was only aware of her heart, pounding loudly in her chest. It was all she could hear, all she could feel. She could sense the blood rushing up to her face. Nobody spoke. She continued to stare at him, wide-eyed.

And here was the thing - he was doing the same. She couldn't see him blushing, like she was sure she was doing, but he hadn't ripped his eyes away from her.. yet.

Then the spell broke, and he was the one to break it. He tore his gaze away from her, and Kazuha was left feeling broken and empty. She shook herself and forced herself to look at anything... anything but him.

"Kazuha-chan?" Ran whispered, quietly. She seemed to understand that something - strange - had just taken place, and she touched the other girl's hands softly. "We need to get this treated."

Kazuha couldn't feel any of the pain she'd previously felt. She slowly glanced down at her hands. They were still red and rubbed raw from the ropes, but why was it that she didn't feel anything anymore?

"Yeah," she finally said, "let's - let's go."

/-/

Shinichi glanced warily at the dark-skinned teen. He'd been awfully quiet for the past few minutes, and a quiet Heiji was almost always bad news.

"So," he began, clearing his throat.

"Who is she?" Heiji cut in, impatiently.

There was no need to ask who he was referring to. "Her name is Toyama Kazuha," Shinichi said, still wondering in the back of his mind exactly what had gone on during that moment, "and she's Ran's personal servant."

"Neechan, need a personal servant?" Heiji stared disbelievingly at him. "She'd never need one, nor want one, for that matter."

"Well, yeah," Shinichi said, rolling his eyes. "They've been friends since they were little, that's why. Before Ran's dad was promoted to be my dad's advisor - something that I still don't understand, by the way, the guy is a **lunatic** - she wasn't treated all that well, and she associated with commoners and all of that. Which is how she met Toyama-san. They've been inseparable ever since. Even after she moved up the social hierarchy, she refused to let something like that pull them apart." Shinichi grinned slightly. "And you've experienced her temper first hand, haven't you?"

Heiji shivered. "Don't remind me."

Shinichi considered something thoughtfully, and decided that he'd jump off the cliff. "Why are you so interested in her?"

Heiji bristled. "I'm not **interested**," he snapped.

"Then why were you staring at her?"

"I wasn't."

"Oh, I think you were," Shinichi said, shooting him a Look.

"Well, you'd better get your eyesight checked, then."

"I saw the entire thing, Hattori, and I happen to have perfect eyesight. You were looking at her, and I mean **looking** at her."

Heiji turned his head abruptly to glare at him. "All right, Kudo, maybe I was looking at her, but I was definitely not looking-**looking** at her. That's a completely different thing."

Shinichi smiled. "Oh? Why were you looking at her, then?"

"No reason."

"You falling for her?"

Heiji promptly gagged. "Are you **kidding** me?"

"She was good-looking, you know," Shinichi went on, conversationally. "Seriously, clean her up a bit, fix up her hair, give her some fancy dress, and your jaw would drop. According to Ran, anyway."

"Pah," Heiji spat, "what would she know?"

"Well," Shinichi said, "you **are** rather stupid, you know?"

"Am not," Heiji grumbled, although Shinichi knew better.

/-/

"All finished," the nurse said, patting Kazuha's bandaged hands. "Do take care of yourself, though."

"I will, I will," Kazuha said, smiling gratefully all the same. "Thank you."

She walked down the brightly lit halls, a little bit behind Ran. She surveyed her bandaged hands. The gauze was itchy, but if she scratched at it, her hands hurt even more. She sighed. Not that she'd ever admit it out loud, but she had been pretty stupid for trying to drag all of those trunks by herself.

"Kazuha-chan," Ran said, "I'm sorry, I should've helped you with our luggage.."

"You don't have to apologize!" Kazuha said, frowning. "It was my fault, anyway - as that jerk of a prince was so kind to point out."

Ran giggled at this point. "He's never had someone talk like that to him before. He **is** the prince, after all."

Kazuha blanched. "Right. I forgot. I'm supposed to be all, 'Yes, my Prince' and 'Of course, your Highness.' Dear god."

"He really doesn't mind," Ran went on, clasping her hands behind her back, "like me and Shinichi. We're not like those uptight royalties. Did you know, Hattori-kun's really smart, though."

"That idiot, smart?" Kazuha rolled her eyes. "Please. He looked like he could barely add two plus two."

"I'm serious!" Ran insisted, still smiling. "The only person that's probably smarter than him is Shinichi. But he's a good sport about it, and they're friends." She paused. "Well - they tease each other a lot, and basically give each other a hard time, but in a guy's world, that's friendship, right?"

Kazuha snorted. "You're asking the wrong person."

"But, but, but," Ran went on, "he's really a nice guy, once you get to know him."

Kazuha raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Then who was that jerk that I just met?"

"Hattori-kun never gives a good first impression," Ran admitted, "when I first met him, he looked me up and down and said, 'Well, you look fine on the outside, but something inside must seriously be out of whack if you're marrying **him**.' " She burst out laughing. "Shinichi smacked him for it, I remember. But deep inside, way, way, way deep inside, is a really nice guy."

"I'm not a very patient person, Ran-chan," Kazuha said, marveling inwardly at how huge the castle was. "I have no desire to search 'way, way, way' deep down."

"You really should give him a chance," Ran was nearly pleading now, and Kazuha raised an eyebrow at her for it.

"Why are you telling me this?" Kazuha asked, narrowing her eyes at her. "I'm just a servant, after all, I'm not even supposed to come into direct contact with him."

"Oh, will you stop putting yourself down already?" Ran put her hands on her hips and frowned at her. "It doesn't matter if you're a servant or a fairy godmother! I know that there are a lot of people out there that look down on you, but as long as you're with me, I'll shut them up!"

"And you know I'm eternally grateful, right?" Kazuha linked her arm through Ran's, "oh, just make sure I never have to see him again, will you?"

Ran snorted. "He does live here, you know."

"I don't really feel like seeing him," Kazuha went on, sighing. "God. He was just the most pompous, arrogant jerk I'd ever met! No wonder he's a prince. Kudo-kun better be a lot nicer than him, or I'm not letting you marry him."

Ran laughed and tightened her grip on Kazuha's arm. "I think you two would be cute together."

"Gah!" Kazuha tripped over her skirt. "You didn't just say that."

"It's the truth!" Ran laughed, cheerfully. "I mean, you two definitely made a lasting impression on each other.."

"What, you mean the impression that we hate each other's guts?" Kazuha rolled her eyes. "Great impression that was."

"Fine, fine," Ran said, easily making her way back to her room. "Just - be careful what you say to him, okay? He has a lot of power around here."

"Hah!" Kazuha crossed her arms over her chest. _"If living means bowing down to the likes of him, I'd rather die on my feet with my head held high!"_ she spat.

Ran sighed. "I'd rather you didn't die at all," she said.

Kazuha gave her a quick hug. "Right, well, I'm going to sleep now."

Ran frowned. "You could sleep here, you know.."

"Shush," Kazuha said, "I know my place, remember?" Though she wasn't looking forward to sleeping in the servants' quarters; though they had beds and blankets and pillows, it was often dark, dirty, and dusty. "Get a goodnight's sleep, all right? I'll see you in the morning. Hopefully, I won't get lost.."

"If you do, you can always ask Hattori-kun for help," Ran said, innocently.

Kazuha groaned and smacked Ran lightly on the head. "Be quiet, you."

/-/

_"If living means bowing down to the likes of him, I'd rather die on my feet with my head held high!"_

Heiji quirked an eyebrow. If nothing else, the girl definitely had backbone. Either that, or she was just plain stupid. He hadn't forgotten their earlier meeting, where she had exploded outside the door, hands rubbed raw from the rope.

He absently put his hand over his heart, applying some pressure so that he could hear it beating faintly. There was something wrong with his heart, he decided, why else had it started beating so rapidly when she'd looked up at him and they'd met each other's gazes for the first time?

Shinichi's words echoed in his mind, "You were looking-**looking** at her."

"Was not," he grumbled. Well, okay, maybe in the back of his mind, he thought that she looked a little bit pretty, but that was it, honest!

...although, she did look painfully familiar, he thought...

He blinked, and stopped to think about it. "But where could I have seen her?" he asked himself, "according to Kudo, she's known Neechan since they were kids, and I only met Neechan through Kudo.."

He sighed, frustrated, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, it's probably nothing," he told himself, "just me overthin -"

_Crash_.

"What the **hell**!" Heiji demanded, loudly, struggling and failing to sit up. He shook himself, and realized that there was something, or... no, some**one**, rather, sitting on top of him. Someone very... soft, and warm, and... and, carried the scent of cherry blossoms..

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" a shrill, hot voice yelled. "Gah - I think I **broke** something! Thanks a lot!"

"You think you broke something?" Heiji retorted, "you're friggin on top of me, stupid! Dear god, how much do you weigh? I think you just broke my back -"

"Why, you -"

_Slap_.

Heiji raised a hand numbly to his cheek. He didn't think he'd ever gotten slapped before - who did this girl think she was? All he could see was the top of her head, full of dark brown hair.

Slowly, she lifted herself off of him, and Heiji subconsciously found himself missing the warmth of her body - and inwardly smacked himself for it.

He was all too aware of seeing light green eyes, sparkling in anger.

Familiar, familiar green eyes..

It was **her**.

"You, again!" she exploded, glaring daggers at him. "I swear - ever since I met you, it's been one mistake after another!"

Heiji glowered at her. "Oh, yeah? I could say the same! Just after I met you, you come crashing into me -"

"What?" Kazuha poked him in the chest. "You were the one who crashed into me."

"Oh, no," Heiji said, shaking his vehemently. "I didn't crash into you. I was walking along, minding my own business, when you just come from out nowhere, and _bam_!"

"Why, you -" Heiji only caught veins throbbing at her forehead when she swung back her arm and slapped him. Hard.

"Just because you're a prince," she hissed, dangerously, "doesn't mean that you can get away with everything! The other servants may bow down to you and kiss your feet, but you know what - I never will!"

With that, she stormed off, leaving the _Prince_ on the floor, staring after her.

/ to be continued /

Random Notes: This line, _"If living means bowing down to the likes of him, I'd rather die on my feet with my head held high!"_ was taken from the English dub of Samurai Champloo, though it's been modified a bit.. yes, yes..

Just want to wave, glomp, and thank all of my reviewers out there. Keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing! xD Seriously, you guys inspire me to write, so do keep doing so, neh?

(sighs and pokes at fic) It seems to be starting out a little slow, doesn't it? I mean, I have a general idea of where I want it to go, but I can't seem to get there! Gah. Any suggestions would also be greatly appreciated.. TT


	3. Out of Breath

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan; complete list of credits at the bottom.

**Chapter 3: **Out of Breath

"You **slapped** him?" Ran shrieked, loudly. "You slapped Hattori-kun?"

Kazuha hid behind a pillow. "...try twice."

"TWICE?"

Kazuha patted her on the arm lightly, "Oh, but... he didn't seem... too angry.."

Ran shot her a Look.

"Well - he yelled a little bit, and cursed, and threatened me, but I can take care of myself.."

Ran sighed. "Oh, Kazuha-chan..."

/-/

"She **slapped** you?"

Heiji glared and pointed to his red, sore cheek. "What, is this not enough proof for you?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "You probably did something to provoke her, didn't you?"

"I - no!" Heiji growled. "Why do you automatically assume that it's my fault?"

Shinichi quirked his eyebrows at him. "Well, Hattori, you **do** have a way of getting under a person's skin."

Heiji glowered. "You're supposed to be on my side, Kudo."

Shinichi rolled her eyes. "Is that how this friendship thing goes?"

Heiji threw a pillow at him. "Shut up."

/-/

In the middle of the night, Ran crept out of her bedroom, unable to sleep. There was a balcony outside her room, overlooking the lawn, dark green under the night sky and silvery moonlight. She wanted... She wanted... She sighed as she leaned over the edge, she wanted to see Shinichi.

"Boo."

"Gyah!" Ran shrieked as she spun around, aiming a fierce punch to the intruder's face. Her fist was caught in midair and she froze, recognizing his touch. Then she frowned at him. "Shinichi..."

He laughed at the expression on her face. "What?"

"You surprised me," she said, huffing, turning away, and pretending to be mad.

He played right along, cocking his head to the side. "I rather thought that you liked it, actually."

"That's not the point," Ran said childishly, though a smile had already cracked her face. She finally turned to face him, looking up at him. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Well," he said, grinning, "I wanted to see you."

Ran giggled - she'd wanted to see him, too. It was this sort of connection that would frighten others, but that they secretly found amusing.

"Do you remember," he asked, suddenly, "when I proposed?"

She tilted her neck backwards to catch a glimpse of his blue eyes. "Of course I do, silly. It was... It was on a night like this, wasn't it? Full moon. Sparkling stars. You. And me."

"Just the way we both like it, right?" He looped his arms loosely around her waist, and she leaned against him.

Ran suddenly remembered something, and turned around so that she faced him, hands lightly pressed against his shoulders. "Did Hattori-kun tell you about his meeting with Kazuha-chan today?"

An exasperated look crossed her fiancé's face. "Sadly, yes. She slapped him."

"Twice." Ran couldn't suppress a giggle.

"You're finding this funny, aren't you?"

"Of course! Aren't you?"

A small smile twitched on Shinichi's lips.

"Hah!" Ran tapped a finger against his lips. "Knew it."

"Honestly? I think he's a little... confused." Shinichi tightened his grip on her and rested his chin on the top of her head. "All his life, he's been treated with the utmost respect. Even with me - I've never gone out of my way to actually hit him in the face. Mostly bantering and verbal sparring, right? And then here comes Kazuha-san, out of the blue, who's - who's - well, who is so much like him that it's actually really, really funny."

"I think that they'd make a cute couple."

Shinichi snorted, loudly. "Sure. If they don't kill each other first."

Ran laughed, a sound that Shinichi thoroughly enjoyed. "Yes. That, too."

They stood there, underneath the pale moonlight, wrapped in each other's arms. Ran tried to stifle a yawn, but Shinichi saw and sighed.

"You're sleepy."

"No, I'm not," she argued, "we can stay here for five more minutes.."

"You'll get dark circles under your eyes in the morning."

She huffed and glared. "So what?"

Shinichi laughed, and from her position, pressed against his chest, she felt the rumbling of his throat. It sent shivers down her spine.

"You sure you want to stay here?"

"Yes." Stubborn. Insistent.

Shinichi chuckled. "Why on earth did I ever fall for a stubborn girl like you?"

"Hmph."

"In just one more month," Shinichi said, "one more month, and you'll be Kudo Ran. Looking forward to it?"

A brilliant smile spread across Ran's lips as she leaned up to kiss him. "You know it."

/-/

_"I fell in love with you... how long has it been since then?" _A voice sang, casting its melody over the otherwise silent castle grounds. Heiji paused, cocking his head to the side and trying to listen. The voice was unfamiliar, and yet familiar at the same time. Like he'd heard it, some long, long time ago..

_"Will the feeling do nothing but swell, or will you notice it, even though I've never said anything?"_

He was entranced. That was perhaps the only word for it as he stumbled hazily through the grass. Where was it coming from? Where was this music coming from? Where was this voice coming from? He had to know - he had to. He felt strange and odd all over. A sort of numbness took over him.

_"Like snow, but quietly.. it continues to pile up..higher and higher.."_

There! It was coming from over there, by the tall cherry blossom tree that overshadowed the others. He broke out into a sprint, vaguely aware that this was stupid, that he shouldn't be wasting his time with this, but pushed the thought away, running, running, running. Sweat dripped over his face, but he didn't care.

_"Hold me tight... if this is how it feels..."_

He was almost there now. Almost there. The cherry blossom tree was just up ahead, and he could see the shadowy outline of a slender figure resting on one of the thick branches.

_"I didn't want to know what it was like to fall in love with someone.."_

He fell short just in front of the tree. The singer's back was to him, wavy brown hair just brushing past her shoulders. He clenched his hands into his fists, willing himself to remember. I know this song, he thought, I know it - I know it.

Cherry blossoms, swirling in the breeze.

Springtime.

A chilly wind.

Him.

And her.

_"I love you... I can't stop my tears from falling..."_

But the image was gone as soon as it had come, and it left Heiji feeling alone, and more confused than ever, this nostalgic music permeating his ears, his brain, his mind, all of his senses. He took a step closer. He had to know. He had to. He had to.

He had to.

_"In that case, you should have never come into my life.."_

He was there. A few feet below her. She didn't notice. A light brown jacket was draped hastily over her shoulders. He opened his mouth to call out to her.

"Hey!"

She jerked suddenly and clapped a hand to her mouth, embarrassed. The music stopped. She had stopped.

"Wait," he said, fumbling for the words. "It's just - I -"

He looked up just as she looked down.

The mystery singer was none another than Toyama Kazuha.

/-/

"What - what are you doing here?" she cried, pink splashes staining her cheeks. Dear god. Not even Ran had heard her sing yet. And now this - this _moron_ had been listening to her this entire time?

Heiji opened and closed his mouth. "Well - you're the one singing like a _crow_!"

If anything, this only caused her blush to intensify. "Well, I didn't ask you to listen, or for your opinion!" She turned away from him.

"It's not like I wanted to listen, _aho_!" The words formed easily on his lips as he glowered intensely at her.

"You're the aho, you... you... _Aho_!" She yelled right back, hopping off the branch -

- and wincing as she landed.

The chivalrous side of Heiji prompted him to ask, "...are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied darkly, through gritted teeth.

He stood there for awhile, considering, and decided he'd push her buttons a little more. "You're not, are you?"

"I am!" she insisted, trying subtly - but Heiji noticed anyway - to rub her right ankle and cringing as she touched a particularly sore spot. "Just because - just because I fell off a tree - means nothing!"

Heiji rolled her eyes. "You must be the most stubborn idiot in this entire planet."

"I'm fine," she said, glaring. "So - just - go."

"Go?" He smirked. "And leave poor, defenseless you, with a twisted ankle?"

"I don't have a twisted ankle!" She glared. "And I'll prove it to you, too!"

"Oh?" He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting. "How are you going to do that?"

He would soon wish he hadn't asked.

She stood up straight, biting down on her lower lip. She took one step forward, and then two, and then three -

She was coming closer, and he couldn't help but admire her for her thickheadedness, if nothing else..

- then she fell forward on top of him.

"Aho!" he roared, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders to prevent them from falling to the ground. "God! I don't know what the hell Neechan sees in you! If you were my servant, I'd have kicked you out of the castle a long time ago!"

"Aho!" Kazuha exploded, "I have no idea what she sees in you, either! Why in the world is she even _friends_ with you? No - why in the world is _Kudo-kun_ even friends with you? And here I thought he was supposed to be _smart_!"

"You - moron," he said, biting his lip. Kazuha tilted her neck up so that she could see him so that she could glare at him - and froze as soon as she did so, realizing that she had just perhaps made the biggest mistake of her life.

Who knew that they had been this close?

She gulped.

He narrowed his eyes. "What's up with you?"

She shivered, against her mind's wishes. "Nothing."

"Idiot." He pushed away from her after making sure that she was able to stand. Then he crouched down, back facing her, and told her, simply, "Get on."

"_What_?" she shrieked.

"Get on," he repeated. "You're not going to be able to walk all the way back to the castle with that ankle of yours. And as much as I'd enjoy seeing you crawl down on your hands and knees, I'm frankly not that cruel. So get on and just make this as little painful as possible, will you?"

"I -" Kazuha glared at his back.

"Get on, aho!"

Something in his voice compelled her to instantly obey him and climb gingerly onto his back. She swallowed, hard. It was firm, and broad, and - _darn it, Kazuha, don't even start thinking like that!_

"You're the most - the most troublesome idiot in the world," he muttered, making sure that she was securely on his back and stomping through the grounds. "What would you have done if I hadn't come out here?"

She didn't reply, and as if in a trance, leaned her head against his warm, broad shoulder. He was still the biggest jerk she'd ever met, but somehow.. he made her feel warm, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.

/to be continued/

Random Notes: Fwee, dedication time! This chapter goes out to two people -

One, _sapphirestars-chan_, who personally requested a Shin/Ran scene, which I, you know, granted. xD I'll be the first to admit that Shin/Ran's not my specialty, at least not like Hei/Kazu is, so I was kinda cringing as I wrote it, going, "Gosh, I hope she'll like it.. O.O" So I hope that you enjoyed it!

Two, and I've probably gone on and on and on about her long enough, but to _Lyn Jarewo Wors-chan_, my dearest friend _ever_! xD Have fun on your busy, busy days, and hope you enjoy this! Was talking to you and doing the Kai/Ao angst thingy as I wrote the last scene. xD

Yes, yes! What is this? Is this the beginning of a plot? (gasps dramatically) Haha, yes, I realize that the first two chapters have been basically nothing but fluff, but it's sort of my way of introducing the story. No worries, though! There _is_ a plot, buried underneath everything else. xD

Dear god, you guys have no idea how much I'm _crying_ right now - xDD - I've finally finished watching Full Moon wo Sagashite - which is such an awesome shoujo series, by the way, definitely worth checking out - and I'd already started tearing up over the last few episodes, but during the final, last episode - all the tears just came flowing out. (starts to tear up again) I am so inspired right now; I'll definitely get to work on the next chapter.

Lastly - please, please, pretty please - leave a review? (bats eyelashes xD)


	4. Desires

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan, or the song.

**Chapter 4**: Desires

When Heiji was younger, his parents took him to a far away town - a town outside the borders of their kingdom. They weren't well-known there, which was a relief to him, because he hated having to act all stiff and polite to total strangers.

He couldn't remember the name of the town, only that it was a small, peaceful town. It was the sort of town where everybody knew everybody. Not at all the place he'd grown used to living in - but it was a pleasant difference.

He remembered the apples there - they were bright, plump, and juicy. The vendor who owned the fruit stand had been extremely friendly, too, and had even given them a crate for free.

"You guys are foreigners," he'd said, chuckling, "so you can _really_ appreciate them. The locals take 'em for granted. Who knows when you'll be back here? Go ahead, take 'em - I won't take no for an answer!"

All of the town folk had been so generous and friendly. Heiji had felt at ease right away, and had even asked his parents if they could move there sometime. They'd laughed at him, and he hadn't understood why.

Despite the small size of the town, he'd managed to get lost. The details were blurry, but he could remember, to some extent, stumbling into a small inn to use the bathroom, leaving his parents waiting for him outside. Then - then, he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because when he finally did find the exit, nobody was there.

Heiji had always been a prideful young boy, and saw no need in asking for help. He strolled casually along the streets, unruffled. He was sure that his parents would turn up sooner or later. There was no need to lose his calm.

After an hour of searching, he found himself in a large, grassy park, filled with cherry blossom trees. There was a small playground off to the side, with a slide, a see-saw, and a set of swings. Being a little boy, he bounded straight for the playground, wanting to have a ride on the swings. He rarely got to play, being a prince - it was always going to classes and - and acting stiff and proper.

He paused just a few feet before the swings. There was a little girl there, in a plain yellow dress, dark brown hair pulled up in pigtails. She had her eyes closed as she swung back and forth, back and forth..

For reasons he wasn't quite sure of, he approached her slowly, almost hesitantly. He must have made some sort of sound as he shuffled through the sand, because she opened her eyes and her gaze landed on him.

"...hi," she said, shyly, curiously.

"Hi," he answered, stronger, louder. He was only three steps before the empty swing. "Can I swing with you?"

She nodded, and he got on.

It was silent, Heiji decided, much too silent. There was the soft creaking sounds of the swings moving back and forth, and the wind, blowing a breeze. He hated the silence. He needed to talk. Or for her to talk, anyway. He turned his head to face her, ready to start a conversation of some sort, when she opened her mouth and started to sing.

_"I fell in love with you... how long has it been since then? Will the feeling do nothing but swell, or will you notice it, even though I've never said anything?"_

Music. He'd heard many kinds of music before, but this was somehow different - enchanting. He could do nothing but sit in place, having stopped swinging the moment she'd started to sing, and stare, completely enthralled.

_"Like snow, but quietly... it continues to pile up... higher and higher.."_

And then he felt pain. It was from her - her song, her voice, her words, they were all filled with bittersweet pain that he could only embrace and absorb. It wasn't his choice.

Who was she? Why was she here? Why was she singing?

_"Hold me tight.. if this is how it feels... I never wanted to know what it was like to fall... in love with someone.."_

"STOP!" He finally cried, unable to bear anymore. Who was she?

She broke off, staring surprisedly at him.

"What's up with you?" he demanded, jumping off his swing. "Why are you singing that? And how could you sing that song without even crying - how could you sing it while _smiling_?"

"Because," she answered, the cherry blossoms swirling around them, "it's my mother's song."

"What do you mean, 'your mother's song'?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "D'you mean that your mom wrote it? Or she sang it? Is she a singer?"

She laughed. "You sure do have a lot of questions."

"Are you insulting me?" he asked, annoyed.

An irritated look flashed across her face, as well. "No! Why would I? I don't even know who you are! Why would I insult you?"

"I don't know!" he answered, loudly. "Because - 'cause you're a _girl_!"

A horrified expression crossed her face. "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!"

"Oh, what do you know? Girls are dumb!"

Her mouth dropped open and she picked up a small stone from the ground. "Why, you -"

"Stop it, aho!" He glared at her. "It's just - could you teach me that song, too?"

Her demeanor went from angry to downright bewildered in two seconds flat. "...but why?" She glared. "You probably have a horrible singing voice, anyway! You'd just kill the song!"

"I do not!" he said, huffing. "Listen!" He paused and tried to remember the words as he sang, "I fell in love with you... how long has it been?"

"No, no!" she said, hopping off her swing. "It goes like this... 'I fell in love with you... how long has it been since then?' "

He frowned, and then nodded. "Got it."

Nearly an hour passed before she finally lost her temper and whacked him on the head. "Aho! It's 'I love you... I can't stop my tears from falling..' not, 'I can't stop my tears from _crying_!' That doesn't even make any sense."

"Shut up," he muttered, a slight splash of red coloring his cheeks. He nodded as he began to sing -

"HATTORI HEIJI! There you are! We've been worried sick about you -"

"That's my mom," Heiji explained, "the screaming and crying lady over there."

"I get it," the girl said, dryly. "So - you have to go, then?"

"Yeah." He nodded, stood, and dusted the sand off his clothes. He turned and was about to run when he paused, and faced her again.

"What is it?" she asked, curiously.

"For what it's worth..." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well... you... you sing...good." Then he whirled around and ran, never looking back, never to see her again.

/-/

Kazuha glared halfheartedly at her now-bandaged ankle. She sure did make a sight - she still had on the bandages around her hands, and now her ankle, to boot. Ran had just left her, with an exasperated sigh and a warning to "be-careful-will-you?"

There were three more weeks until Ran's wedding, and only a week left until they set out on horseback for the Kingdom of the East, which was where the wedding would take place.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called.

She would soon wish that she hadn't. A much-too-familiar dark-skinned prince entered the room, smirking at the sight of her bandaged ankle.

"What are you doing here?" Kazuha asked, warily.

"I wanted to see if you were okay, that's all," he said, shrugging.

Kazuha's mouth dropped open.

"I _can_ be a gentleman, you know," he said, slightly annoyed. "And close your mouth before the flies come in."

Kazuha arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not here to make fun of me?"

"That's always an option - I thought I might try to be nice, but if you really want me to insult you, I'll gladly -"

"No, no," she cut him off brusquely, "that's quite all right, thanks."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and made his way over to the foot of her bed, looking at her strangely. His gaze landed on her ankle, again.

"What are y -"

He poked it.

Hard.

"**OW**!" Kazuha shot up in her bed, quickly moving her ankle out of his reach, glaring daggers at him, clutching her pillow as if to throw it at him. "You -"

"Glad to see that you're all right, then," he then said, grinning a sick, twisted - in Kazuha's opinion, anyway - grin. "Neechan told me that you were tired and out of it and wanted to be left alone. I didn't believe it, so I decided to come and check on you."

"...thanks," she muttered, bitterly.

And all he did was _smirk_, which was quickly rising on Kazuha's list of exactly why she hated this idiot so much. That stupid smirk; how she wished she could just wipe it off his face, painfully and forcefully -

She shivered. It was cold.

Cold?

Turning her head to the right, she saw that he had opened her window, letting the chilly breeze flow into the room. Kazuha drew her knees up to her chest and pulled the blankets up to her neck. He was standing there, just - well, staring. It was almost as if he'd forgotten she was ever there. She craned her neck to try and get a glimpse of what he was looking at, and saw a cherry blossom tree in the distance... The one she'd sat on when she was singing.

The wind blew his hair back, and he closed his eyes briefly, inhaling deeply.

When he opened his eyes, Kazuha was struck with how - how _deep_, and - and, well, _green_, they were...

Something fluttered in her chest.

And then he turned.

And caught her gaze.

_Darn it!_ Kazuha quickly turned away, praying that her cheeks were normal and devoid of any color whatsoever. Still she shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms, feeling the goosebumps.

"...you cold?"

Dear god, she thought furiously, glaring down at her chest, where her heart would be, what's wrong with you? Don't - don't start beating so fast when I'm around him! That's confusing, darn it!

"...are you cold?"

And why in the world was she so cold, anyway? She pulled the blankets tighter around herself. Was it the window? Oh, that's right, it was still open. She ought to tell him to close it, she decided, and looked up to face him -

Only to realize that their faces were mere inches apart.

"GAH!" Taken by complete and total surprise, she sprang backwards, ending up hitting her head against the wall. She bit her lip to stop the curses from leaving her mouth and winced in pain, "Ow..."

He sighed, a long-suffering sigh, and then crawled onto the bed, towards her. He reached out for her and she stiffened.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, fully aware of the awkward position that they were in.

"Checking to see if you're okay, aho," he replied, "though.." He trailed off as he took her head in his hands - Kazuha struggled not to shiver at the contact - and pressed slightly against the small lump on the side of her head, "it's not like there's anything in here that'll get damaged anyway.."

"Aho!" Her mind was telling her to move away, move away, but she didn't, and only swallowed as his hand fingered the lump on her head.

"It's just a small bump," he told her, removing his hand from her head. "Just go get some ice."

"Ice?" As if she wasn't cold enough already.

"Yes, ice. What, you want me to go get it for you?" There it went again, that stupid smirk of his!

"No," she snarled, glaring daggers at him, "I'm perfectly fine. I can get it myself." She hopped off the bed and proceeded to hop on one foot towards the door when a condescending laugh stopped her in her tracks.

"Swallow your pride for once, won't you?" His hand clasped around her wrist.

There it went again - that sudden, fluttering feeling. She ignored it as best she could. "And ask you for help? I think not."

"God, I'm not _that_ cruel," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not just going to leave you to hop around the castle on one foot. Do you even know where the kitchen is?"

"...I would've found it eventually.."

"Aho," he snarled. "You stay here. I'll get the ice."

She glared fiercely at him. "Pah. How do I know you'll even come back?"

"You don't." The words were simple and blunt. "But you'll just have to trust me."

"I'd sooner trust a bloodthirsty shark," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Keh." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and then stuffed it back into his pockets, opening the door. "I'll... be back in a few minutes. Don't go hurting yourself, now."

She stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

That didn't change the fact that she couldn't rip her eyes away from him as he exited.

/-/

Heiji pointedly ignored the questioning stares that were directed towards him as he exited the kitchen with a small pack of ice. He couldn't suppress the exasperated expression that flitted across his face as the ice grew to be too numb for his right hand and he shifted it to his left.

"She's such an idiot," he muttered to himself. "Always getting hurt. Though I guess I get hurt a lot, too.." He trailed off as he remembered the time he'd tripped over his own two feet and had gotten a nasty scrape on his cheek; the time he and Shinichi had been playing soccer outside; the time he'd almost gotten shot by that one assassin.. It had been a running joke between the two men, how many times he could get hurt..

"To top it all off, with an attitude like that, too.." He rolled his eyes and bounced the numbing bag of ice up and down in his hands.

He opened the door to her room and found her lying down on her bed, the sheets rumpled at her feet. Her eyes were closed, and she evidently hadn't heard him come in. Had she fallen asleep?

An evil smirk graced his lips.

Silently, he tiptoed over to her bed, quietly opening the bag of ice. She slept on. He raised the bag over her neck and tilted the bag down.

"CRAP, THAT'S _COLD_!"

He smirked.

She sat up in bed, trying to brush all of the ice cubes that had fallen on her and down her shirt away. Her hair was down, and slightly damp from the ice-cold water that had drenched it. Her skin was pale, glistening from the water. She was absolutely fuming.

She didn't even look all that pretty.

Not really.

And yet, his heart was pounding.

**/ to be continued /**

Fwee! Here you go, _Heart of Perpetual Ice_ - you asked for more slapping and yelling, yes? Well, no slapping, but more than enough yelling, right? xD

Leave a review, neh?


	5. Alone with Him

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan.

**Chapter 5: **Alone with Him

"You're going _where_?"

"Just out with Shinichi," Ran reassured her, smiling. "He is my fiancé, right? Aren't I allowed to go out with him?"

"Well, yes," Kazuha admitted, "but - well, what am I supposed to do? I'm sure as heck not going to hang around him the entire time. Don't you remember? He -"

"He dumped an entire bag of ice cubes on you, I remember," Ran replied, sarcastically. "Oh, it'll be fine. At least he was kind enough to get you the ice in the first place!"

"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even _need_ the ice."

"..." Ran obviously couldn't find anything to say to that.

Kazuha let out a short sigh. "Oh, forget it, Ran-chan. Go out and have fun with Kudo-kun. I'll just lock myself up in my room so that I won't have to see him."

"You're going to isolate yourself?" Ran raised an eyebrow.

"Not like there's anybody else to talk to." Kazuha sighed and fell back against Ran's bed - so much softer and luxurious than hers. But that wasn't anything to think about. No.

"Go talk to the other servants," Ran suggested, "you know, Shinichi mentioned something about a "Kuroba"... I think he works with the horses.."

"Horses?" Kazuha perked up. "Do you think I'll get to go riding?"

Ran shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"I'll go out with you, then," she said, decisively, "you'll be taking the horses out with Prince -"

Ran shot her a glare.

"...Kudo-kun, right?" Kazuha rolled her eyes.

Ran's glare relaxed into a loose smile. "Right."

/-/

"So _you're_ the infamous Toyama Kazuha."

Kazuha whipped around, feeling her ponytail swing around with the force she put into it. Her gaze relaxed when she saw a young man about her age, taller, with unruly dark hair and sparkling blue eyes.

"That's right," she said, still a little wary. "And you are?"

"Kuroba Kaito," came the easy reply - he waved to Ran and Shinichi, riding away on horseback. Kazuha broke her gaze away from him to do the same. "Your everyday, charming stable boy."

He winked at her, and Kazuha found herself laughing. She paused - "How did you know my name?"

Kaito snorted. "Oh come on. Who in this kingdom _hasn't_ heard of you? Besides me, you're the only one that's ever done what no lowly servant has ever done - piss off the Prince."

"You, too?" Kazuha let a surprised smile gradually spread across her face. "It's fun, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes," Kaito agreed, wholeheartedly, "I've been trying to get all the servants to do it, but they're all cowards."

"A shame."

"Yes. A shame. Hei-chan can be such a meanie sometimes."

"Hei-chan?" Kazuha quirked an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes. It's what I call him, anyway. I'm guessing that you don't bow down to him and call him Your Highness either, do you?"

"To me," Kazuha answered, shrugging her shoulders easily, "he's just the aho. Plain and simple."

Kaito opened his mouth to reply when he was violently and abruptly whacked on the head with - Kazuha narrowed her eyes - a mop. A dirty, filthy mop. She watched as small clots of mud dripped down Kaito's shirt.

"That would be Aoko," Kaito said, as if nothing had happened at all. "We've known each other for ages, but no matter what you hear, we're _not_ going out."

A faint hint of red splashed on the other girl's cheeks, who looked almost exactly like Ran. "Of course we're not. Why would I go out with someone like _you_, anyway?"

Kazuha watched as an interesting lump formed on the top of of Kaito's head. _Not going out? Yeah, right_. She snorted.

"By the way, Aoko," Kaito said, after waving off her pointed insults, this is _the_ Toyama Kazuha."

Aoko's eyes widened then giggled slightly. "We've heard a lot about you."

"And I'm sure that you've heard such pleasant things."

"Well, does 'ugly ponytail, creepy green eyes, and as heavy as a rock' count?" Aoko laughed. "I'm Nakamori Aoko. I'm one of the servants here - in fact, I'm in charge of the Prince's room, and we talk quite a bit.."

"In other words," Kaito interrupted, "she's a favorite. Hei-chan actually treats her with respect."

"Well," Aoko snarled, turning to him, "if you didn't plant the chickens in his bed -"

"That was an accident!"

"- and if you didn't leave a horse in his room, which by the way, I don't even know how you pulled off -"

"Hey, he said that he _wanted_ to have a horse ready for him first thing in the morning.."

"Don't forget the baby pictures."

"... an innocent little joke?"

Aoko shot him a Look, which Kaito was apparently already immune to. Then she froze, and tilted her head to the side to get a better view, mouth forming an 'o'. Kaito turned around as well, and a nasty smirk spread across his lips. Kazuha blinked, about to turn, when a hand tapped her on the shoulder.

She finally turned, and _glared_ (Aoko proceeded to drag a protesting Kaito off in the background).

/-/

"I'm _not_ doing your laundry."

Heiji crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing her with a smirk. "Oh?"

"No," Kazuha repeated. "For your information, I am Ran-chan's servant, and nobody else's. You can't boss me around. Only she can."

"It's not much, really. Just a few shirts."

"You," she hissed, "dumped a plastic bag of ice cubes over my head. You poked my ankle when it was sore and twisted. Do you really expect me to do your laundry? You know what, why am I even sitting here, talking to you anyway?"

"Because Kudo and Neechan are out doing stuff for the wedding," he replied, bluntly.

"That's all fine and well," she replied, still glaring sourly at him, "but why are you bothering with me? _Prince_? Surely you've got other royal duties to do. And I've got stuff to do, too."

"Pah," he said, rolling his eyes at her. "As if Neechan actually makes you do anything."

Kazuha smiled sarcastically at him. "Oh. You caught me. I was lying so that I wouldn't have to talk to you."

"Lying to royalty is considered treason," Heiji said, smirking widely. "Come on. Just do these shirts."

"Over my dead body!" she hissed, narrowing her eyes in utter hatred.

"It's not like you've got anything better to do," he reasoned.

"That's not the point," came the swift retort. "You've got plenty of other servants in this place. Get one of them to do it. Or better yet, why don't you do it yourself?"

Heiji raised an eyebrow. "I've never done laundry in my life."

"Obviously." Kazuha rolled her eyes. "Seeing as you're a _prince_ and all."

He stared at her, intensely, making goosebumps prickle her flesh. She held his gaze, though, not wanting to be defeated by the likes of him.

"Then maybe I will do it myself."

She goggled at him. "What?"

"Are you deaf?" He shot her that same condescending glare he always did, the one that made his bright green eyes stand out against his dark complexion... Kazuha swallowed. "I said, maybe I'll do it myself."

She blinked at him. "...well. Fine by me!"

"But," he said, continuing to grin smugly, "I've never done laundry before."

"There's a first time for everything," Kazuha said loftily, about to push past him and go back into her room. He caught her arm easily and stopped her from passing further.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, slowly.

"I haven't done laundry before," he said, enunciating every syllable, just to get on her nerves. "And you have."

Her eyes widened as she finally understood what it was he was saying.

"Oh, no. No, no, _no_..."

/-/

"Gah! Stop it!"

Kazuha smirked. "I didn't hear a 'please' in that sentence."

"And you never will," came the scathing reply.

"Is that so?" With an intense stare, Kazuha narrowed her eyes, as they both engaged in a nonverbal staring contest.

"Yeah. That's so."

"Well, then -"

The ponytailed girl splashed him with a huge amount of chilly water, soap bubbles sticking in his thick dark hair, on his neck, arms, and best of all, his nose.

"I should never have agreed to this," he muttered bitterly under his breath. "This is what happens when I've got absolutely nothing to do."

"But it's fun!" she insisted, splashing him with another round of water.

"That's it -" he stuck his hands inside the large tub of water and splashed her, as well, sending water gushing all over her clothes -

"Ack! No, no, I'm wearing -"

The water promptly stopped, but it was too late. She was drenched.

" - white," Kazuha finished, staring down at herself. She hastily covered herself - she was pretty sure that he couldn't really see anything, but heck, she wasn't going to take her chances.

Surprisingly enough, he averted his eyes. "How... is it?"

Kazuha glanced down at herself. "...it's okay," she answered truthfully, "but -"

He held out his thick brown jacket, which he had worn outside because of the chilly weather. "Take it."

She could only stare at it, dumbfounded. "I - what?"

"Take it," he repeated, gruffly. At her completely bewildered look, he let out an exasperated sigh. "Put it on, for crying out loud. I don't want to see anything that I don't want to see."

She still stared. "You're - you're offering me your _jacket_?" She still couldn't believe it.

"Oh, come on -" Growing impatient, he opened up his jacket and draped it loosely around her shoulders, his fingertips coming into contact with her shoulder and neck.. The contact between the two of them sent a strange sort of jolt down his spine. He didn't quite understand it. He drew away.

He eyed the clothesline, with his four dress shirts blowing in the wind. They were done now, just - just, well fooling around.

"Come on," he said, standing up to his full height and turning away. He didn't think he could stand to watch her, for some reason..

"But the water -"

"Leave it."

He hoped that she wouldn't start arguing with him this time - behind her, he could hear the rustling of her clothes as she stood up slowly and trotted behind him.

"Don't get used to this," she warned him. "I'm only listening to you because you gave me your jacket."

"Of course," he answered, "what else do you expect me to think?"

"Mmm," she said lightly, shrugging her shoulders as she caught up to him, walking side by side. He really had to commend her for her boldness - all servants walked behind him. All the time. She hummed a song under her breath, a painfully familiar one. Yet he didn't understand, _why_ was it so familiar?

His impatience reached its limit as he whirled around to face her. She was barely able to stop herself from colliding into his back, and she shot him an annoyed look for it. "You -"

"Where?" he demanded, cutting her off harshly. She frowned at him, obviously not comprehending. "Where did you learn that song?"

She blinked, surprised at him. He waited furiously, the ticking of the grandfather's clock behind him growing louder and louder in his ears. _Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock._

She tightened his jacket around her frame. He took notice that it was much too big on her, but that she didn't look too bad in it, and..

"Where?" he repeated, forcing himself _not_ to think those thoughts, no matter what. "Where did you learn that song?"

She smiled, then, a painful smile, of hurtful memories from long ago.

"It was my mother's song," she said.

**/to be continued**/

Random Notes: Whew! Am finished with this chapter, at last. Look for the next chapter as soon as possible, neh? School is just swamping me with too much stuff. O.O

Keep reviewing, though, won't you? (smiles) Your reviews seriously do inspire me to keep going, you know?

**_This chapter goes out to... Heart of Perpetual Ice and Jazzy Uchiha, both consistent reviewers of my Detective Conan fics. (Haha, don't worry, I know that there are more of you out there. I'll get to you, I promise!)_**


	6. Entwined

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito.

**Chapter 6** - Entwined

She woke up in the middle of the night, sweat dripping down her face. It was chilly outside, winter announcing its early arrival. Yet she gasped and panted for air, and threw the blankets off her body. Her hair, reaching down past her shoulders, clung to her face and neck. She gathered them up at the back of her head before collapsing against her pillow.

She closed her eyes, and after tossing and turning for a good hour, fell asleep.

Only to be haunted by that nightmare again.

In her nightmares, she saw her, her mother. The one who had left. Left her and her father behind, barely able to make ends' meet. Her father sold fruits at a modest fruit stand in the center of the market place. Everybody loved their apples - she remembered getting up early in the mornings to help him.

Her mother was beautiful, excruciatingly so. Kazuha was often told that she looked exactly like her, down to the stunning green eyes. When she was younger, she loved hearing such things, because when she was younger, she loved her mother.

When her mother left, that changed.

It started when she would notice the sad look in her father's eyes whenever her mother was mentioned. It was quick and fleeting, but Kazuha was observant enough to notice it, even at a young age. She would pout and change the subject to something else. Sometimes she would throw tantrums, but that would only upset her father more.

"Daddy?" she'd once asked, sitting on his lap in front of the cozy fireplace.

"Yes?"

"Where's Mommy?"

He'd stiffened, and an unreadable expression had fluttered across his face. "She went somewhere, Kazuha. Somewhere far, far away."

Kazuha'd paused, digesting this information. "Is she ever coming back?"

And he'd enveloped her in his larger arms, and she'd been surprised at the sudden show of affection. "No. No, she's not."

She hadn't understood.

Years after that, her father grew thinner and frailer. Paler, and weaker. She knew something was wrong, but whenever he asked him, he would deny it. She should have known better. She should have.

It had only taken one afternoon. One fateful afternoon, when she'd walked in and found him sprawled on the floor, unconscious, heartbeat faint.

She'd run over to him as fast as her legs could carry her. "Dad? Dad? Dad!"

She'd spent many endless nights at his side, unwilling to leave him. She'd barely gotten any sleep during that time, but she didn't mind. She didn't care.

He opened his eyes once, on a freezing, snowy night:

_"Westburg,"_ he'd said. _"That's where your mother is."_

He closed his eyes.

He never opened them again.

/-/

Heiji stormed through the halls, rolling his eyes. He couldn't fall asleep, and it was driving him absolutely crazy. Crazy enough to venture all over the castle.

It was four in the morning.

To make things worse, _she_ kept popping up in his mind at the oddest moments.

_"It was my mother's song."_

He ran a hand through his hair, glaring angrily at his feet. Why did it sound so familiar? It wasn't just that sentence, but the entire song - he'd heard it before, he knew it, he knew it -

The words were fuzzy, but he knew them.

And he didn't understand how, or why.

He paused in front of a door, leaning against it heavily and closing his eyes. He did not have time for this, darn it - he did not have time to be thinking - thinking about _her_, of all people. She was nothing but a servant, anyway. The only reason she had so much cheek was because Ran was her friend, and -

He stiffened.

Was that -

_Crying_?

He stood up straight, straining his ears for the source of the sound. Who - or, even, what could it be? It was the middle of the night; no one would be awake and crying, of all things -

He turned behind him.

There it was.

Whoever was in this room was crying.

Well - now Heiji certainly faced a predicament. The person in the room - a girl, he concluded - was obviously crying her eyes out. He could do one of the following things: Simply ignore her and walk on; knock on the door and ask if she was okay, and then leave; knock on the door and actually go in.

Heiji frowned.

Finally, he raised a fist and rapped his knuckles gently against the door. "Uh..." he began, awkwardly, "...uh, are you - okay?"

Sobs were his only answer.

He shrugged, about to leave - perhaps she wanted privacy. He wouldn't want to interrupt on such a moment, anyway. He wouldn't have the slightest idea on what to do.

"Someone - anybody!" He heard her muffled voice through the door. "Anybody! Please, just - just come!"

Heiji blinked, startled - but it didn't take long for him to turn the knob and burst in through the door. He wasn't quite sure what he'd expected... His imagination had come up with a series of various scenarios, ranging from this mystery girl having fallen off her bed and breaking her leg as a result, to some strange figure in black kidnapping her.

There was no such thing.

There was only a petite figure in the bed, tossing and turning wildly. Her back was to him, so he couldn't see who she was or what she looked like. The room was pitch black, with the exception of the moonlight filtering in through the small windows.

"Someone -" Her voice was broken, and painfully familiar. "Dad - god, Dad, Daddy, don't - don't die -"

He should have left. He should have turned his back, walked out the door, and left this all behind him. That's what he should have done.

"Dad - don't, don't leave me - don't leave me like Mom did - Dad? Dad?"

His feet mechanically drove him towards her. He lingered hesitantly by the side of her bed. His eyes had adjusted to the dark, but her face was still turned away, and all he knew was her voice. He heard her sobbing, heard her sniffling. His hand automatically shot out to brush against her hair - but then he froze and his hand hovered over her head awkwardly.

What in the hell was he doing?

He was about to retreat, hell, run out of there if he had to, when she reached out for his hand. He started at the sudden contact, face turning red, evident even in the darkness. Her hand was - it was smaller than his, and soft, and slightly calloused. She gripped his hand tightly, as if never planning to let go, ever...

"I miss you," he heard her murmur. "I - I miss you, so much -"

His heart fluttered at the words, and he tried to disengage his hand from hers. Which didn't work - this girl had one tough grip. Beginning to grow annoyed, he brought his other hand to try and pry her fingers away -

Which resulted in her turning her head.

So that he got an extremely clear view of her face.

"You!" he hissed, but then softened as he caught a slight glimpse of the tears that stained her cheeks.

Her grip tightened further on his hand.

"Don't -" she murmured into her pillow, hair falling into her face. "Don't - don't leave me, too.."

"Kazu -" he broke off. He never called her by her name. The last syllable escaped his lips against his will, "..ha."

He knew - god, he _knew_, that he needed to just wrench his hand away from her grip and get away from here, far, far, far away..

He made a fatal mistake when he turned and caught a glimpse of her slumbering face - hair covering her like a curtain, moonlight illuminating her in all the right places.. Before he could stop himself, he'd reached out and pushed the stray strands back behind her ears, goosebumps prickling his skin as he did so.

And at that moment, he knew for a fact that he wouldn't be able to leave her.

He gingerly set his weight down on the edge of the bed, her hand still clutching his.

He found himself watching her, even though he knew that he shouldn't..

He could take in her scent, flowery and pleasant, all at once. It was intoxicating, and addicting, like a drug.

He did the only thing that made sense -

He sang.

His voice was hoarse and soft, and her hand relaxed against his as the words and music poured out of his throat, _"Hold me tight... strong enough to break me..."_

She mumbled something in the back of her throat and snuggled closer. It sounded like she was humming the melody under her breath. Against his better judgment, he smiled, ever so slightly.

He stayed until the sun rose.

/-/

When Kazuha woke up, she found her eyes red and puffy, swollen from crying. A wry smile twisted her lips, and she vaguely remembered the nightmares she'd had last night.

When she looked down, she found her hand curled tightly, almost as if she'd been holding onto something in her sleep.

She blinked.

And then dismissed it. Surely it meant nothing.

/-/

She got dressed and somehow found her way down the winding staircases of the enormous castle. Her feet clattered loudly against the steps, but that didn't matter. She was starving, and she needed some food in her stomach. Now.

The kitchens were bustling with the cooks, all preparing breakfast. She smiled a friendly smile before taking a small plate of toast and eggs out. It was then that the cook called to her -

"Toyama-san?"

"Hm?" She turned back to the elderly man.

"Whose jacket is that you're wearing? It's not yours, is it? It looks so familiar for some reason.."

Kazuha glanced down.

And turned red.

Crap - she hadn't even noticed putting this on! It was _his_ fault, anyway, for leaving it with her, and.. oh, god. She bit her lip as she forced out an excuse, "Uh, it's just an old jacket.." before practically running out of there.

She glared distastefully at the dark brown jacket as her feet led her outside. Stupid jacket, she thought, bitterly, stupid - stupid god-forsaken prince. But when a chilly wind blew, she had no choice but to wrap herself tighter in the soft, warm material. Which led her to inhale his scent - a distinctly masculine, minty scent - _his_ scent -

She turned pink.

She was _not_ going there. She was absolutely, positively, not -

Oh, dear god, but it smelled good.

Gah! She walked faster, over to the base of a cherry blossom tree, a smaller one, closer to the castle. When she reached her destination, she sunk down, sulking, and hurriedly took off his jacket, hoping that by doing so it would stop her mind from thinking _those_ thoughts.

She picked up her plate and picked at the toast and eggs, wondering vaguely how Ran was doing. She'd told her that she'd be out for the night, and would come back by this afternoon. Kazuha wondered what they were doing - some romantic, candlelight date, perhaps? Ran was just way too lucky, and Kazuha envied her..

The wind blew. Harder. Colder.

Kazuha glowered.

She wasn't going to put that jacket back on again. Hell, she'd probably throw it out in the trash, just to see the expression on his face. Though, come to think of it, if he could so easily just give her his jacket, then he obviously must not have liked it very much, right?

She shoveled the last of her breakfast into her mouth, shivering violently as the wind picked up. She placed the plate back on the ground, and glared at his jacket, still considering.

That was when she heard it. Music. Soft music, but - but at the same time, absolutely stunning music, as well. She grabbed the jacket without a second thought and went in search for the source of the sound. It was somewhere - somewhere near the koi pond off to the right of the grounds.. She picked up her pace, jogging slightly now, still trembling from the cold air.

She froze as she grew closer.

She knew this song..

_"How long will I think of you? My sigh makes the window glass fog up.."_

The singer - a man, dark hair, back turned to her - was unaware of her presence. His voice was quiet, almost subdued, as if not wanting to attract any attention, but the sound of his voice drifted to her ears easily.

He turned his head, just slightly, but enough for Kazuha to get a clear view of his profile.

The gasp fell out of her lips.

"Oh, god," she hissed, "it - it's -"

It couldn't be -

Hattori Heiji, the stuck up, lousy excuse for a prince, was _not_ singing her mother's song. How did he even know the song, anyway? It didn't make any sense, it didn't, it didn't, it didn't!

In her shock, his jacket slipped out of her grasp.

The soft, rustling noise it made was enough to stop him from singing. Heiji whirled around, a semi-embarrassed, but mostly angry expression on his face.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I - " Kazuha stared dumbly at him before recovering. "Nothing!" she yelled. "I'm doing nothing! Just walking around! Is that a _crime_, your _Highness_?"

She shivered, rubbing her hands over her arms. She could feel the goosebumps on her skin through the thin fabric.

"Moron," he muttered, slowly shuffling towards her. She began to shake again, and she wasn't quite sure if it was because of the weather..

He bent over and picked up his jacket. He shook it, and Kazuha watched as crumpled blades of grass fell to the ground. He straightened and stood, staring directly at her. She swallowed. Twice.

He drew nearer.

Kazuha was rooted to the spot, and all she could do was watch..

...as he slung the jacket around her shoulders. Warmth flooded into her body as his fingers brushed against her neck and shoulders, as his skin made contact with hers... She quivered.

"Come on," he said, turning away, brusquely.

For once, she followed without complaint, pulling the jacket tighter around her. Silence hung over them, and she decided to break it. Once she caught up to him, she opened her mouth - "Where did you learn that song?"

He paused, and for a moment she thought he wouldn't answer.

"I learned it," he finally replied, "from a little girl I met a long time ago.."

/-/

"I assume," Kazuha said, once Ran got back home, "that you and Kudo-kun had lots of fun." She accentuated the word "fun" with a _look_ she'd learned over the years.

Ran had the decency to turn red. "Shush," she said, but she was smiling. "I just love him so much, Kazuha-chan.." She broke off, a content look crossing her face. Kazuha found herself smiling as well, but it faded when Ran went on, "How did you do while I was gone?"

"Awful," Kazuha spat, bluntly. "You left me with that _prince_, and he made me do his laundry, Ran-chan -"

"Kazuha-chan," the other girl cut in, suddenly, "what are you wearing?"

Kazuha looked down at her attire and nearly pulled her hair out. "It's just a jacket," she gritted out, "nothing more. I was cold."

Ran, however, wouldn't let the subject go that easily. "But that looks almost like.." She frowned and furrowed her brow. "It couldn't be, it's impossible, but..." She stepped closer, scrutinizing the article of clothing closely. "This is Hattori-kun's!"

A faint shade of pink tinged Kazuha's cheeks - but she said nothing to affirm or deny the claim.

"Kazuha-chan..."

"It's just a jacket," Kazuha insisted. "It was his fault anyway, for soaking me with all the water while I did his laundry.."

"But Hattori-kun loves this jacket," Ran went on, all serious. "He'd never give it to just _anyone_. I hear that he even washes it himself."

Kazuha blinked as she took in this new information.

"They say," Ran continued, voice dropping to a whisper, "that it was given to him by his first love."

**/ to be continued /**

And the plot thickens, neh? I don't have much to say about this. Except for maybe an apology for the lateness of it? Well, no matter, 'cause this weekend is Labor Day weekend, as in - _A THREE DAY WEEKEND!_ Hopefully I'll have some time to work on this then.. ahh. Hope you enjoyed, and do leave a review!

_Much love and thankies go out to Lyn "Jarewo" Wors-chan and sapphirestars-chan!_


	7. Starlight

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan, or the song.

**Chapter 7:** Starlight

She'd taken care to avoid him whenever possible. She also double-checked her appearance daily in the mirror, making sure that she was not, _was not_, wearing his jacket. She didn't think she could handle the wide-eyed looks and whispers that that simple article of clothing could incite.

Usually, she'd be with Ran, but Ran was always with Shinichi, who was always with _him_. It was a dead end, either way. So she'd fake an excuse of some sort and wander around the castle. Sometimes she'd linger at the stables, making conversation with Kaito and/or Aoko. She had yet to figure out exactly what their relationship was.

She'd confronted Aoko about it once, and the girl had turned a bright, brilliant shade of red and sputtered out some incoherent excuses. Kazuha had smirked.

"Just because we've known each other since we were kids means nothing!" The red on her cheeks didn't die away. "Everybody asks us that, sooner or later.."

Kazuha had laughed, and reached out to pat her friend on the shoulder, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Though he does have quite a few of the other servant girls looking at him, you know?"

Aoko looked positively livid. _"What?"_

Kazuha shot her a Look.

Aoko deflated. "Uh..."

Kazuha had let the subject go - but she'd definitely get back to it, that was for sure. What she didn't say, however, was the hurt that she felt - Ran had someone, Aoko had someone. She had no one. She never had. Maybe she was doomed to live all alone. Would Ran always keep her around, even after she married Shinichi and moved on?

"Shush," she berated herself, shaking her head. She was outside again - the only place where she really felt safe and good. The castle was too stifling for her liking. Plus, she just couldn't stay inside and be happy knowing that the entire building was one day to be completely ruled by _That Idiot_. It was too depressing to even think about.

She sat herself down on the slightly wet grass, wet from the morning dew. She sighed and closed her eyes, in desperate need of sleep. She was tired, so tired..

Well, she thought, taking a short little nap couldn't possibly hurt, could it? Ten, fifteen minutes at the most. Then she'd get back up and go on with her day. Yes.

She lay down on the grass, closed her eyes, and drifted off.

/-/

Heiji needed to get away. What with his parents' constant nagging - _when are you going to find a wife and settle down? One of these days, you're going to inherit the kingdom, young man, and we're going to need heirs and _- Heiji wrinkled his nose. Settling down? With some stuck-up princess? Over his dead body.

He clambered down to the stables, praying to the dear gods above that Kaito wouldn't be there. He really didn't think he could deal with the young man's antics today. Though hadn't Aoko mentioned something about the two of them riding out somewhere? He snorted.

He selected his horse - nameless; he'd never been good with names and whatnot - and climbed on, grabbing the reins and sticking his feet in the stirrups. He started out with a trot, feeling the wind rustle his hair. They rode over the grass, making shuffling noises as the horse's hooves brushed against the sharp blades.

He tightened his grips on the reins, ready to break out into a full-fledged gallop, when his sharp, scrutinizing green eyes caught sight of a figure, _laying down on the grass_, of all places. His eyes widened in panic and he pulled on the reins with all the strength he could muster, his horse neighing loudly as his hooves skittered on the grass. The unconscious figure made no attempt to move. Temper - and slight concern - rising, Heiji leaped off his horse, anger gleaming in his green eyes, stomping furiously towards the mysterious figure.

"What," he began, seething, "the hell do you think you're doing? Lying around in the grass like that? What the _hell_? Answer me!"

No reply.

Heiji drew nearer, footsteps thudding loudly against the ground. Anger flooded him.

He knelt down on the grass. It was a girl. Her back was to him, dark brown hair loosely braided, falling down her back. She was - was she _asleep_? He could hear her breathing, deeply. This seemed strangely familiar to him -

But still. What sort of moron fell asleep in plain daylight, right on the grass, no less? She could have gotten run over!

He reached out and shook the slumbering girl roughly. She stirred, murmuring something under her breath, but her eyes remained shut.

"Wake up, will you?" He shook her again, and her head fell in his direction. He recognized her instantly.

"You again," he hissed - and glared. Why was it that wherever he went, he always somehow bumped into - into this idiot? He withdrew his hand from her, narrowing his eyes in hatred.

She slept on.

"You're an aho," he stated, bluntly. Maybe he was taking advantage of the fact that she was asleep, and she wouldn't be able to come back with her catty retorts. He should leave now, shouldn't he.. He pushed that thought from his mind. "And you're _weird_, too."

She breathed in deeply, hair falling into her face. He clenched his hands into fists to prevent them from reaching out and tucking them behind her ear.

"...and you're ugly," he murmured, halfheartedly. The sun struggled to peek through the heavy gray clouds and failed. Soon it would snow, it was almost December now, after all..

"I hate you," he continued. "You're such an annoyance. God, you're worse than Kuroba, and he's creepy enough already! And - and you're just so strange, and when I'm with you for some reason it feels kinda nice, even if we're yelling at each other, and, and.."

Memories flashed in his head.

A little girl, in pigtails, on the swings.

Singing.

He reached up to rub at his temples, his head pounding furiously.

And then he remembered the time when _she_ sang. The exact same song.

"It couldn't be," he breathed. "It's just - I'm being stupid. Maybe the little girl was lying; maybe it was some famous song and -"

But no one else had ever heard of the song before.

Then, could it -

Was it -

He didn't have time to dwell on it. She had woken up, and was staring at him with a bewildered expression on her face.

/-/

Kazuha was glaring at him now. He rolled his eyes and sat himself down on the grass, arms crossed over his chest in defiance. He narrowed his eyes right back at her.

"What am I supposed to think, when I wake up to find you _staring_ at me, huh?" Boy, she looked pissed. "Stalker."

"I'm not stalking you!" He positively howled. "If I were ever to stalk someone, she'd be a lot better-looking than you! AHO!"

She glowered at him, and looked as though she were about to spit out a nasty retort. But then she shook her head and stuck her nose in the air. "I don't have time for this," she stated, looking away from him. "I have better things to do than to sit around talking with the likes of _you_."

"Oh?" Heiji couldn't bite back the words. "Like cleaning out Neechan's room, you mean?"

She froze.

And Heiji realized, much too late, that he shouldn't have said those words.

He warily slid away from her, making sure that there was a good, solid distance between the two of them. He waited for the explosion. If the girl got pissed at petty little things, then this - well, look out world.

But it never came.

When he finally realized that she wasn't going to do anything to him, he peered around to get a glance at the expression on her face. Her eyes were clenched shut. Her hands were balled into fists. For the first time, he felt almost afraid.

"Hey.." he began, uncertainly, cautiously.

"I'm leaving," she bit out, standing up abruptly, causing blades of grass to fall onto Heiji's face.

"I - what?" He blinked, dumbfounded, and could only watch as she stormed off towards the castle. Before he knew it, he had already gotten to his feet and had chased after her. He caught up to her easily, and stole a glimpse of her face. She was furious.

And he felt awful for it.

"Uh," he started again, awkwardly. "Well, uh -"

"Go away."

Heiji bristled, but he wasn't going to let her leave without a fight. "Will you listen to me for one second, woman? I swear to god -"

"Why," she cut in, scathingly, "should I listen to you? Tell me, _Prince_, why should I listen to someone demean my position in the social hierarchy? Because I don't have the time for it, nor do I have the patience, nor do I have the desire. Now get out of my face."

Heiji blinked, momentarily stunned. Then - "Aho! Stop being so emotional and listen to me for a sec!"

She covered her ears, serving to make him angrier. "Not listening, not listening, not listening," she chanted.

"Will you _listen_?" he roared, grabbing her by the wrist, a scowl etched on his face. God, she was infuriating. He paused for a moment, taking in the fact that her wrist was so _small_ and that his hand encircled it so easily...

She tensed, but made no further action to pull away.

He relaxed. "I was going to say.." he trailed off, biting his tongue. What was he going to say? Wait a minute, why the hell did he even _care_? He had a sharp tongue, and he always spoke his mind. That was him, that was Hattori Heiji, Prince of the Kingdom of the West, and everybody knew it. If he wanted to say something, he'd say it, no ifs, ands, or buts. And definitely no apologies afterwards. His philosophy was, if you can't handle it, then you don't deserve to be in this world.

So, then, why did it feel like someone had just shredded his stomach into a million pieces?

He shouldn't care. Why was he going after her? Hell, if she was pissed, then by all means, let her be pissed! Maybe, she would even take to avoiding him and he wouldn't have to deal with her and life would go back to its peaceful, peaceful old self..

Not to mention, _boring_..

Heiji then started to blink rapidly. Boring? Well, sure, The Aho brought in quite a bit of fun and interest in his life, but she was also so friggin infuriating and there were times he just wanted to shove her in the lake, and -

...and then there were times like now, when he didn't know exactly _what_ he wanted to do with her. He was staring at her lips now. Pretty red lips. They were red, like cherries. He wondered if they tasted like cherries, too.

His eyes widened to an alarming size.

_Holy-friggin-crap-I-did-not-just-think-that-about-The-Aho-because-she's-the-ugliest-person-in-the-world-and-I'd-die-before-kissing-her-even-if-I-did-sneak-into-her-room-that-one-night-but-that-was-only-because-she-was-crying-and-I-didn't-want-to-just-leave-her-crying-and-just-shut-the-hell-up-dammit-_

She was pulling away from him now. He felt her thin wrist and hand slip away from his grasp. He was slipping into a hazy sort of dream land. Did he want to go? Maybe. Because the real world was growing too confusing for his liking. He needed some food. Coffee. Black. No sugar.

He shook his head violently - _must-not-think-stupid-things_ - and finally saw her walking away, about to enter the castle. He panicked. In the back of his head, he vaguely wondered why, then he pushed the thought away. His feet moved automatically and he closed the distance between them quickly, effortlessly. His hand grasped her shoulder.

"Let go," she said.

"No," he said.

"You jerk!" she cried, twisting around to gaze at him, full-on, right in the face. He was temporarily shocked when he saw that a few tears were leaking from her eyes. "Do you _like_ making me cry?"

He refused to loosen his grip on her wrist. If he did, she'd run. "...no," he admitted. "I - I never wanted to make you _cry_.."

She sniffled. "Well.."

"Uh.." He reached a hand behind his head and scratched at it, awkwardly. "I just wanted to say, that... uh.."

She glared at him through her tears. "What?" she demanded.

"Aho," he barked, the word flying out of his mouth before he could stop it, "will you wait?"

She glowered.

"I, uh," He wished he could stop stuttering. It made him sound like an idiot. She was probably enjoying this, too. Idiot.

"For crying out loud!" She threw her hands up in the air in sheer exasperation and made to turn around. Oh, no. Heiji had not gone through all of this torture to just let her friggin walk away. No. He grabbed her - a bit more roughly than he'd intended - by her elbow and forced her to look at him. He enjoyed the slight pink flush that colored her face.

"Aho," he said, but there was no heat, no anger in it. "I'm trying to apologize."

Her eyes widened.

"So there," he said, huffing, and letting her go quickly. "I said it."

Some kind of different, strange expression flickered across her face. She turned around, and made towards the castle door. "Right."

Heiji watched her leave, getting the strangest feeling that that hadn't gone as well as he'd thought..

/-/

"I hate him, I hate him, I hate him." She was muttering to herself the entire time she stomped to her room, earning some strange looks from the other servants. She pointedly ignored them. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. If I ever get the chance I swear I'll shove him off a cliff.."

She tried not to think about the way he looked when he'd grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him. It had only lasted for a few brief seconds, though, before he reverted back to his old Aho self.

"I hate him," she voiced, out loud. The door slammed behind her.

/-/

Hours later, at half-past ten at night, Kazuha sat up in her bed. She couldn't sleep. She blamed it on the late morning nap she'd taken earlier. Not that she wanted to remember it.

Ran had simply sent her an apologetic smile upon the end of Kazuha's lengthy rant. "It's just the way he is," she'd said, "he's rough around the edges, but he's really a good guy inside. He apologized, didn't he?"

Kazuha had fumed silently in reply.

"I'll talk to him, if you'd like," Ran had offered.

Kazuha had declined. She didn't want anything more to do with him.

So the skies were black and the stars were sprinkled across them, little dots across a sea of night. A pale, wispy, crescent moon lingered overhead, and Kazuha traced the outline of it with her finger.

She crossed over to the balcony. She'd been lucky enough - thanks to Ran - to have been able to get a room with such a gorgeous view. She unlocked the doors and winced as they creaked. She slipped on a pair of old slippers and walked over to the edge, leaning over the metal railing.

Sometimes, she wished life were easier.

She wished her father was still here.

She wished her mother had never left.

She wished...

...to erase the loneliness from her life. She didn't want to be alone anymore.

Ran was there, but she was just a friend. Aoko was growing on her, as was Kaito, and even Shinichi, although she didn't seem him too often. What she wanted, though, was someone to _love_. Someone who looked at her the way Shinichi looked at Ran, and the way Kaito looked at Aoko when he thought no one was looking.

She opened her mouth and started to sing.

_"Hold me tight... if I think like this..."_

She started as a voice joined hers, a deep, mellow voice, and their voices fit together perfectly and melded together into one harmony, one song. Their song.

_"I didn't want to know..."_ they both sang, _"...what it was like to fall in love with someone.."_

She stopped. So did he.

"Who -?" she began, uncertainly. She peered over the railing and was able to make the shadowy silhouette of a broad-shouldered man, and made a questioning noise in the back of her throat.

"It's me."

Kazuha jumped back from the railing, as if she'd just been electrocuted. She considered not saying anything, but her mouth got the better of her. "Yeah?" Stupid mouth.

"I don't know. I just - I had a feeling you'd be out here. I guess."

She shivered. It was cold. Yes. "A-Ah." Dammit, did she just stutter?

"So, you know," he cleared his throat. "I heard you were pissed at me for earlier. Still, I mean. I thought you were over it."

She glared, but knew he couldn't see it through the darkness. "Dummy," she spat, over the railing. "That's none of your business, and why would you care, anyway?"

Lengthy pause. "I don't."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine."

Silence. She shivered again. She needed to wear some warmer clothes.

"So," he said. "I don't want you all pissed at me. 'Cause then Neechan'll be pissed at me."

Kazuha rolled her eyes.

"And then Kuroba will be pissed at me, too. And he's just damn scary."

Kazuha resisted the urge to giggle. She tried to stay cool, though. "What does that have to do with me?"

"I - I don't want you to be pissed at me," he repeated. "You're - well, I just don't want that."

"Fine."

"Fine?" he echoed.

"Fine."

"..." He paused, as if considering something. Kazuha waited. He cleared his throat, and she snapped to attention. "Can I have my jacket back now?"

Kazuha froze.

"AHO!" She swore, wishing she had some random blunt and heavy object to peg him with. She didn't.

"It's _my_ jacket," he insisted, loudly. "I deserve it back, don't I?"

"Idiot," she muttered, and stomped back inside her room. He was still yelling. She slammed the doors shut. They blocked out the sound of his voice. Peace and quiet, at last.

She climbed back into bed. She burrowed underneath the covers and groped around her bed, searching for something. She quickly found what she was looking for, and an amused and exasperated smile crossed her face. She held his jacket close to her body, close to her nose, inhaling his scent.

She didn't ask herself any questions. Didn't ask why.

All she knew was that his jacket, his scent, it comforted her. It kept the nightmares away. And that was good enough.

**/ to be continued /**

Ahah. Lookie, I finished most of this today! I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but somehow I did. The beginning drove me crazy (Lyn-chan can prove that. xD) But then once I got on a roll, _bam_, all this Heiji/Kazuha fluff just kept going and going and going. The angst bunnies are attacking me, though. o.o Me! The romantic-comedy-queen! Hah.

The line about Heiji looking at Kazuha's lips, thinking they look like cherries and wondering if they taste the same way... (falls over laughing) well, all from Lyn Jarewo Wors-chan, as usual. Except her version consisted of vanilla/cinnamon and was just a lot dirtier. (giggles)

End of my three-day-weekend. And the evil cycle of school begins again. _By the way, this chapter is for **Lyn "Jarewo" Wors-chan**, good luck with school! You must treasure your last day of freedom before school takes over your life again! (in the background, bites and curses at her med homework)_


	8. Insecurities

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan.

_For... **sapphirestars-chan**_.

**Chapter 8:** Insecurities

Ran was the one who broke the news to her. They were having lunch together, in Ran's room, a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. They were sprawled on her bed, sheets crinkled and unmade.

"I just thought you might want to know.." It was odd to see Ran look uncertain and unsure.

Kazuha tilted her head questioningly to the side. "Yes?"

Ran chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Well... I heard that Hattori-kun's supposed to get married."

_Thud._

The next thing Kazuha knew, Ran was hovering over her, an anxious expression pasted on her face. "Kazuha-chan? Kazuha-chan? Oh, god, I'm so sorry -"

Kazuha's head was spinning. Married..?

Her expression hardened. Well, so what? None of her business if he was going to get married, right? Hell, it wasn't like she _liked_ him, anyway. Stupid, arrogant jerk. She hoped he lived a long and miserable life, together with some old hag who yelled at him every single day...

"THAT AHO!" she burst out savagely. "Fine! Go get married! See if I care!"

Ran shot her a Look -

- and burst out giggling.

_Crap, crap, crap_. Kazuha resisted the urge to bang her head against the nearest wall. Had she said that out loud? She fumed silently from her spot on the bed, glaring at the ground. Stupid aho. Always invading her thoughts. Always, always, always.. She considered burning his jacket and giving him the ashes, just to see what his reaction would be..

"Actually," Ran said, a slight glint in her eyes, "his parents are arranging the marriage for him, or so I heard. They were trying to get Princess Yuka, from down south of here, to be his bride."

Kazuha narrowed her eyes.

"And?" she questioned, trying to sound nonchalant. "Is he going for it?"

Ran shrugged. "I haven't heard anything more about it. I only heard about it through Shinichi, anyway. I wouldn't think that Hattori-kun would submit so easily - but I've heard this princess is really pretty, maybe he goes for things like that -"

Kazuha clenched her hands into fists. Tight, tight fists. She felt her nails digging into her skin, and some sort of uncontrollable emotion flooding her from within. What was this? Light, dark, happy, sad, cherry blossoms, singing, stars, jacket, dark and light again, water, lots of water, _pain_.

...pain?

"...you're bleeding!" Ran rushed to her side, taking her hands in hers. Nail-marks adorned her palm, small droplets of blood oozing from them. Kazuha shook herself. Bleeding? Was that why she was hurting?

"Let me get you some bandages or something," Ran said, already standing up. Kazuha made to stop her, tell her she could do it herself, but Ran was already long gone. Heaving a sigh, the ponytailed girl fell back against Ran's bed, closing her eyes. She kept her hands palm-up, wincing as the cool air stung the cuts. She really was stupid, wasn't she? Why would she care? That idiot could marry whoever the hell he wanted. It sure wasn't any of her business..

Kazuha groaned.

"Why the hell she could I care?" she muttered, slinging an arm over her eyes, making sure to keep her palm face-up. It was beginning to sting slightly. Pah. Why should she get hurt because of _him_? It ought to be the other way around, if anything..

She jolted as she felt somebody's hands on hers. They were soft. Warm.

"Ran-chan?" she called, but - but it _wasn't_ Ran's hands, because these hands were larger, slightly calloused, and comforting and reassuring, and their _touch_ was so, was so..

"What did you do _now_?" The voice ruined the moment.

Kazuha sat up abruptly. Her eyes narrowed. "You," she spat.

He wasn't letting go of her hands. Why? And why wasn't she pulling away? "Yeah. Me. What did you do?" And he lifted her hands, entwined in his, closer to his face for inspection. She could feel his breath against his skin and she involuntarily shivered.

"None of your business," she snapped, though there wasn't as much heat as she'd originally intended. Darn.

"They look like nail marks." Dammit, when did he get so smart? "Let me guess, you got pissed off about something, and then decided to take it out on your hands. Smart move."

_...shut up_.

That was what she intended to say, anyway. But it came out more like this:

"So you're getting married?"

He froze.

She mentally slapped herself. Open mouth, insert foot..

A smirk rested on his lips. "Where did you hear that from?"

Kazuha shrugged, trying desperately to remain cool and nonchalant. "Ran-chan might have mentioned it in passing."

The smirk grew wider. "Jealous, are you?"

Dead on the nail. But she wasn't likely to admit that. Not even to herself. "No!" she exploded. "Just thought I might pay a visit to your future bride and tell her to run away!"

He said nothing. "Not like I _want_ to get married, anyway. Who would want to?"

The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. "...I'd like to.."

He glanced at her, surprised. "Why?"

"What do you mean, _why_?" Kazuha never failed to be amazed at the wonders of the male mind. "Falling in love with someone. Finding the one person that you're meant to be with, for the rest of your life. Knowing that you'll have someone who'll be with you unconditionally. Isn't that enough of a reason?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Women."

Kazuha glared. "At least I'm not being _forced_ into marriage. Do you even want to marry this girl? Have you even met her?" Questions flew out of her mouth like bullets, one, two, three.

The strangest expression crossed his face. "Well," he said, pausing deliberately.

Kazuha arched an eyebrow. "What?"

He stared at her, giving Kazuha a clear view of his deep jade eyes. "I won't marry her," he said, "if you don't want me to."

-.-

His heart thudded in his chest, _ba-bump, bump, bump_ as he delighted in the shocked expression that flittered across her face. She opened her mouth. Then closed it. She was at a loss for words, and he took great satisfaction in that.

"...what?" She said, weakly. It was so unlike her to be so quiet, so surprised.

"I said - " And here he leaned closer, enjoying the blush that spread across her cheeks, pausing for effect - "that you're an _aho_."

She blinked at him.

And screamed. "You - you _idiot_, I hope you - I hope you fall off a _cliff_!"

Something inside him compelled him to say, "Only if you fall with me." Accompanied with a cheeky grin.

She reached for her pillow. "Get out!"

Her pillow hit him squarely in the head. In the instant that it hit his face, he caught a whiff of her scent - sweet flowers, cherry blossoms, vanilla.

"You're the idiot," he muttered, throwing the pillow softly back at her, watching as she caught it.

It was then that he finally took in the sight of her - sitting on Ran's bed, hair slightly messy from lying around on the sheets, clothes wrinkled.

She was just a _servant_, his mind told him, a common, mere servant. He was a prince.

They would never be together, never, ever, ever - not that he _wanted_ to be with her or anything, because that was just plain stupid, and she was - she was the ugliest thing he'd ever seen, and -

His heart told him otherwise.

-.-

"A ball," Heiji repeated, eyebrows raised.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "You deaf, Hattori? _A ball_."

"It's just.." Heiji shrugged. "Never pegged you guys for the type who'd throw big fancy balls in honor of their engagement."

"It's not like we wanted to," Shinichi said, "but your parents insisted, and then my parents insisted, too - "

"I got it." Heiji waved him off. "Just another ball for me to stand and look handsome at."

Shinichi snorted.

-.-

A feeling of impending doom crashed down on him the moment he stepped into his parents' bedroom. Typical of a king and queen, it was a lavish room, with velvet and silk. All nice to look at, and Heiji had similar objects in his room as well.

"Mom? Dad?"

A tall, sophisticated figure rose from her chair. "Come," his mother said, smiling. "Sit down."

Heiji narrowed his eyes.

She sighed. "Come on, just sit down, won't you?"

His father spoke beside her, voice deep and intimidating. "Heiji."

Heiji rolled his eyes and sat down gingerly against the hard-backed chair.

"Heiji, how old are you?"

Heiji blinked. "Nineteen. You know that."

"A good time for you to settle down."

Heiji scowled. "Haven't we had this discussion about a million times before?"

"Look at Shinichi-kun!" His mother scooted closer to him, eyes pleading. "He's engaged! And look at _you_! You're a perfectly handsome man, Heiji, you've got your fair share of princesses and ladies and other high-ranking women wanting to marry you! You _need_ to get married."

"The only reason they want to marry me," Heiji cut in, stiffly, "is because if they do, they'll get the entire kingdom. It's not like - it's not like they're marrying me for - for _love_, or -"

_Falling in love with someone._

" - 'cause I'm sure as hell not going to marry some pretty porcelain doll just 'cause she looks good on my arm or has a - a high social status, or - "

_Finding the one person that you're meant to be with, for the rest of your life._

"If I ever get married - not that I _want_ to, by the way, and you're _not_ making me, no way in hell - "

_Knowing that you'll have someone who'll be with you unconditionally._

" - it'll be because I actually _love_ the girl. Got it?"

Heiji blinked at himself, surprised at the words that were coming out of his mouth. It wasn't - it wasn't like he actually meant any of the words that were coming out of his mouth, anyway. He just - he just wanted his parents to leave him alone, darn it!

His parents rested their gazes on him, impassive. Their lips were pressed into a thin, firm line.

"Very well," his father concluded. "We'll make you a deal."

Heiji continued to scowl. "A deal?"

"You have a month," his father said, leaning forward on his chair, meeting his son's green eyes squarely with his own. "A month to find yourself a suitable bride. Someone that you _love_. If you don't find a girl within the next month, then your mother and I will find a bride for you."

A million scenarios went through Heiji's mind.

Dark brown hair.

Ponytail, swinging in the breeze.

Cherry blossoms.

He stared at his father defiantly. "Fine."

**/to be continued/**

Yeah - it was originally going to be longer, but... well, folks, here's the deal: Have you guys heard of that new hurricane, Rita? Well, it's going to be hitting us. Now, the area I live in isn't under a mandatory evacuation zone or anything like that, but it's still going to be really close, and my parents and I figure, "better safe than sorry." So we're evacuating and leaving our house. Don't know _what's_ going to happen, don't know when I'll be back. Just do me a favor and keep me in your prayers, won't you? I love each and everyone of you dearly - your reviews absolutely, positively make my day!

I'll be back as soon as I can!


	9. In His Arms

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan, or the song.

**Chapter 9 - **In His Arms

"I can't!" Kazuha exclaimed, glancing incredulously at Ran, who was grinning like an absolute angel. "You can't expect me to go to a ball! I'm - I'm only a servant!"

Ran rolled her eyes at her. "This ball is being held in mine and Shinichi's honor, right? We _want_ you there. So you're going there."

Kazuha protested, " - I - I don't have a single thing to wear, anyway -"

Ran strode over to her closet and pulled out a gown - the gown that Kazuha had had her eye on this entire time, the gown she'd thought Ran was going to wear to the ball. "And what do you call this?"

Kazuha gaped at what Ran was insinuating. "Ran-chan, you can't - you can't _possibly_ - "

"I had it made especially for you," Ran declared, pulling Kazuha up by the wrist and holding the gown up to her. "Oh, Kazuha-chan, it matches you perfectly. Green is definitely your color - it brings out your eyes - "

Kazuha, however, was preoccupied with _other_ thoughts.

Him - he - he would be there, wouldn't he? She didn't want to be there, with him. With him to see her make an utter fool of herself in front of royalty.

"Ran-chan," she said, weakly, "I - I couldn't possibly.."

Ran frowned. "Kazuha-chan.. I - I _want_ you there. You're the only real friend I've got here. Can't you go? Please?"

Kazuha closed her eyes and sighed inwardly. She _had_ to be such a good friend, didn't she?

Enough, she told herself. Ran-chan's been nothing but perfect to you. You - you can deal with _him_. Do this for her.

"Yeah," she finally replied, ignoring the squirming feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I'll go."

-.-

Heiji stared at his reflection in the mirror, finishing tying up his tie. He sighed and mussed up his hair, knowing that his mother would certainly kill him for it later.

Hell, he felt like killing _himself_ right now.

Because the entire night, he'd had one vision dancing in his head -

_Her_, in - in some really, really nice dress, with her hair fixed up, laughing and smiling and dancing and -

Heiji groaned loudly.

_Right, because she looks good enough when she's just in her regular servant clothes, she'll probably look really really really really REALLY good when she's actually all dressed up -_

Heiji proceeded to bang his head against the nearest wall.

-.-

"I still don't know," Kazuha admitted, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The gown was beautiful, that was for sure, but she felt - well, she felt _naked_, like she was on display for the entire world to see. Ran frowned at her reflection, twisting at Kazuha's ponytail slightly to get the desired effect she wanted. Heaving a sigh, she let go and watched Kazuha's dark brown hair spill over her shoulders.

"What is it?" Ran asked, plopping down on the bed. Kazuha turned around to look at her. "Really, Kazuha-chan. I won't make you go if you don't want to, but you look _gorgeous_, and I don't understand what you're so afraid of!"

Dark skin and piercing green eyes.

Kazuha closed her eyes.

"I'm not afraid," she murmured.

"Is it Hattori-kun?" Ran demanded, and apparently received her answer at the sudden jerk that came from Kazuha. "Did he do something, did he say something? I'll hit him if he did."

"No, no.." Kazuha laughed lightly, but it faded away quickly. "It's - well - he's - " Darkness clouded her expression. "He'll see me there, and I'll probably like a total idiot, completely out of place among all these high-ranking people - and - and - " She clenched her hands into fists, " - god! I don't even know why I care what he thinks; he's nothing but an arrogant _jackass_ -"

Ran tilted her head to the side, scrutinizing her.

" - and he's getting _married_, to boot!" The words kept coming out, out, out, spilling forth from the tightly closed jar she'd trapped them in. "And - and - " A torrent of unknown emotions, all meshing into each other, taking over her. " - and - I don't - I don't _want_ him to, and I don't know _why_ and honestly I just want to _punch him_ and dump him in the lake - "

"Kazuha-chan?" she vaguely heard Ran say in the background, but she was much too absorbed in her thoughts and world to let it really affect her. "Kazuha-chan!"

" - and I feel like finding this _girl_ he's going to marry and just _strangle_ her - I swear to god -"

Ran poked her. Hard. Kazuha looked up, frowning.

"What?"

Ran had a slightly uncertain grin on her lips. "Promise you won't hit me?"

Kazuha blinked. "Of - of course not."

Ran looked right at her, all seriousness in her gaze. "I think," she said, slowly, "that - that you're in love with him."

Kazuha froze.

-.-

_A young boy, with wide green eyes, swinging on the playground. Cherry blossoms fluttering in the breeze. A song, an enchanting melody, escaping his mouth to echo in the sky._

_A young girl, in pigtails, staring._

_An angel? she wondered, hazily._

_The song poured out of his throat - so easily, so beautifully -_

_"How long has it been since I fell in love with you?"_

_Yes, the girl thought, drowsily, how long has it been?_

-.-

"I - no, I can't." An expression of true and desperate fright passed over her face. "I can't be - "

Ran scooted closer to her. "It's completely normal," she said, reassuringly, "everybody falls in love at one point or another.

"And it never works out," Kazuha whispered, frantically. "I - I mean - you... you and Kudo-kun are different - but - but people like me, we're never meant to fall in love.. I - I just remembered - "

Ran furrowed her brow. "Kazuha-chan.."

"My - my mom - " Kazuha gasped, quickly cutting herself off before she said anything else that she shouldn't. She closed her eyes, locking the tears in, breathing deeply. She felt Ran's hand on her shoulder.

"If you want to talk," Ran offered, "you know that I'm always here."

Kazuha forced a smile and opened her eyes, which were suspiciously glossy. "I know." God, they were on such the wrong conversation right now. She turned back to the mirror, putting her hair up, typing the ponytail higher than usual, easily weaving the green satin ribbon through her locks. Ran came up behind her and pinned two pink flowers to her hair.

"You look great," she said, smiling encouragingly.

Kazuha pasted a smile on her face, staring hollowly at her reflection.

-.-

"You haven't danced the entire time," Kaito noted, nudging Heiji in the ribs.

Heiji glared. "Why are you even here?"

" 'cause your parents like me!" Kaito grinned cheekily at him. "And Aoko's helping out, serving the food. Got nothing better to do..." His expression changed suddenly as he bounced up and down, "Oh, _waitresssss!_" Heiji pitied Aoko as he saw her walk towards them, a platter of food on her hands. She _glared_ daggers at the other boy, who was seemingly immune to her glare.

Kaito daintily picked up a glass from the tray, took a sip, and made face. "This water tastes _awful_. Bring me another."

Aoko glowered, "Watch it."

Kaito simply smiled. "Come back in a couple of minutes?" he suddenly said, eyes twinkling.

Aoko turned red - against her will, it seemed. "Why?" she challenged.

Kaito's grin grew wider. "So I can dance with you, of course!"

"..." Aoko nodded after a beat of silence, lowering her head so that her hair covered her face. Kaito whistled a happy tune and Heiji stared at him, disbelievingly.

"What was _that_?" he demanded, green eyes flaring.

Kaito blinked. "What was what?"

"Th - _that_!" Heiji insisted, flailing his arms wildly, attracting stares from the others. He lowered his arms and glared. "You just - you just - you just asked her to dance?"

"Yes.." Kaito cocked his head to the side.

"So do you - do you _like_ her? Everybody says that you guys are going out, but - "

A strange expression flickered over the blue-eyed boy's face as he shrugged. "Doesn't matter, does it? As long as we're together."

Heiji blinked. "I always thought girls wanted more than that."

Kaito blinked as well. "Eh?"

"Don't they always want to know about - about whether you're officially _together_ or something? I think I heard Kudo's dad mention it. They won't be happy until they finally, finally know how you feel about 'em. Until you're officially _together_. Otherwise it just confuses them. Or something."

Kaito frowned. "That sounds too complicated."

Heiji shrugged. "Women."

Shinichi made his way to them, bowing politely to an older woman who had congratulated him on his engagement. He sighed and grabbed a glass of ice-cold water, leaning against the wall next to them.

"Watch it, Ran-san will be jealous," Kaito joked.

Shinichi shot him a Look. "Just because I'm being asked to dance more than you? I think you're the one jealous, Kuroba."

"Why, I didn't know you felt that way! If you wanted a dance, all you had to do was ask.."

Heiji interjected. "Kuroba snagged a dance with Aoko-san, anyway."

Shinichi nodded wisely. "Figured as much."

Kaito bounced up and down on heels - "But _somebody_ hasn't danced at all this entire night!"

Simultaneously, two pairs of blue eyes landed on Heiji, eyeing him suspiciously. "Come on," Shinichi coaxed him, "not even once?"

"It's not like I even wanted to go to this thing," Heiji muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Parents made me.."

"You have to dance at least once," Kaito insisted.

"Who says so?"

"We do," Shinichi said, standing up beside Kaito. Heiji noticed, not for the first time, how alike they looked. God. Creepy.

"What's going on?" A new voice joined them, a feminine one. Ran. Heiji thoroughly enjoyed the flush that crept up Shinichi's cheeks upon the sight of her.

Shinichi smiled at her - "Torturing Hattori."

"Ah?"

"He hasn't danced at all this entire night," Kaito informed her, "and he simply must. At least one dance, don't you think, Ran-san?"

"Of course!" Ran smiled. "A handsome man like yourself - not getting any offers? Or are they all not good enough for you?"

Heiji muttered something under his breath.

"I'll make you a deal," Ran said, eyes twinkling. "The next eligible female that walks in that door - you have to dance with her."

Heiji blanched. "What makes you think I'll agree to that?"

"Because if you don't, you'll have these two on your case for the rest of the evening," Ran deadpanned. "And that's all you have to do, Hattori-kun. One dance with the next girl, and we won't care if you lock yourself up in your room for the rest of the night."

Heiji sighed. "Fine. All right. But you'd better leave me alone for the rest of the night, you hear?"

Ran grinned. "Of course!"

Heiji leaned against the wall, biding his time. He was vaguely aware of Kaito leaving their group to meet Aoko on the dance floor, and his eyes followed the couple. It - It didn't make sense to him. Shinichi and Ran made sense, because at least they had the relationship he'd seen, time and time again - they'd fallen in love, confessed their love, gotten engaged, and here they were. But Kaito and Aoko, well, this was weird. They were _together_, it was plain to see, but no words had ever been said, no mad, passionate confessions of love. Was that still love, then? Heiji was so used to seeing the typical love romance that when he saw this, it confused him.

_"Doesn't matter, does it? As long as we're together.."_

He nearly - just _nearly_ - drowned himself in the punch bowl as thoughts of a sharp-tongued, ponytailed girl fled into his mind.

Dammit, he thought, narrowing his eyes, why can't she friggin - leave - me ALONE?

He was suddenly aware of somebody poking him. He glanced around and saw Ran, smiling innocently at him. Gah. The innocent smile was usually the precursor to something _bad_.

She was pointing to something. He followed her finger - she was pointing to the door. No, she wasn't pointing to the door. She was pointing to the person in front of the door.

More to the point - the extremely, breathtakingly _gorgeous_ girl at the door - clad in a deep green dress, with thin, spaghetti straps and a flowing skirt that fell to the ground. Long satin gloves that reached up to her elbows adorned her hands and wrists, and - and - and -

He couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Go!" He was vaguely aware of Ran elbowing him and shoving in the direction of this mystery girl. His feet led him to her, blinking rapidly as he almost stumbled over the steps. He swallowed and shook himself and then, thinking back to his royal training, stuck out his arm and asked -

"Would you like to dance?"

There was no answer - except for a choking sound. He finally glanced up at her, looking directly into her eyes, taking in every inch of her face. He found it hard to breathe. It - It was her. In an amazingly stunning dress, with a slightly modified hairstyle, and she looked - _different_ - but those bright green eyes told him that it was her.

He had just asked Toyama Kazuha to _dance_.

-.-

And she said yes. In the heat of the moment, looking into those deep green eyes of his - they were the color of her dress, she thought, absently - she found it impossible to say no.

So here she was, in his arms, dancing to the music. He trapped one of her hands in his. Her other hand rested comfortably on his shoulder, and his other hand rested on her lower back. She hadn't been able to stop the pounding of her heart, and she wondered if he could hear it, too.

And what was the worst part of it all, you might ask?

She didn't want to leave. She - She never, ever, _ever_ wanted it to stop.

The music floated over them, softly.

_"Someday I wish upon a star... and wake up where the clouds are far behind me..."_

Maybe she shouldn't have. But - but she had - and -

Be quiet, her heart told her mind, be quiet and leave me be.

_"Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops... that's where you'll find me..."_

She was just slightly aware of Ran's eyes on her, of Shinichi and Kaito and Aoko, looking at her. As well as the entire room, for she _was_ dancing with the Prince of the West, and -

Oh, god, her knees were feeling weak.

_"Somewhere over the rainbow.."_

She watched as a strange expression crossed his face. It was something she hadn't seen before, and she was so surprised that when he pulled her away from the crowd, she didn't bother to resist. Her heart was thudding loudly. Was he _really_ deaf to it?

_"...skies are blue..."_

"You hungry?" he asked, suddenly, handing her a bowl of rice and meat. Bewildered, Kazuha could only reach out and accept it. She took the pair of offered chopsticks as well, randomly mushing at her rice.

"...why are you being so nice?" She had to say something, try to go back to the way they used to be. This was frightening.

"Nothing," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair agitatedly, scowling at something on the ground. She blinked and chewed on a piece of meat.

"It's just - " He paused, frowning to himself. She tilted her head to the side questioningly, curiousity definitely piqued by now. What was he trying to say? Until this point, he always told her whatever was on his mind - what was _this_ about that he couldn't just blurt it out like he usually did?

_"...and the dreams that you dare to dream..."_

"Just - promise you won't freak out?" He was looking at her warily.

Which served to confuse her even more. "Okay.."

He took a deep breath and then gazed directly into her eyes. He was in a business-like mode, no jokes, no pranks. This was it, he was completely and absolutely one-hundred-percent serious. "I have a - a proposition - for you."

She was silent, waiting for him to continue. She shoveled some rice into her mouth and chewed.

He scratched at the back of his neck, scowling again. "Just - okay - _will you marry me?_"

Kazuha froze.

Choked on her rice.

Eyes widened.

Mouth dropped open.

And spit the entire mouthful of rice right in his face.

_"...really do come true..."_

**/to be continued/**

The song used at the ball is actually different from the one that has been playing throughout the entire fic! Teehee. It's called "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and I have no idea who sings the original, but the one I was listening to while writing this was the one by Kimberley Locke. Ooh, such a prettyful song..

The ending scene - where Kazuha spits out the rice at Heiji's face, lol - was inspired by a similar scene from this really really really funny and awesome Korean drama called "My Name is Kim Sam-Soon" - oh, man, I still giggle at the memory of the scene. Oh. Priceless, that it was.. xD

Yes - so I'm back at my house, safe and sound. Rita didn't do too much damage to our area, so that's something I'm extremely thankful for. This chapter goes out to _all of you_ who kept me in your thoughts as I evacuated.. thank you so, so much!


	10. Aftermath

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan.

**Chapter 10: Aftermath**

_"Will you marry me?"_

The words echoed hollowly in her head, and she could only stare at him, dumbfounded. She saw everything - the way his eyes squeezed shut as she spit out her rice at him, the way he slowly opened them to glare at her, the way he wiped the chewed rice off his face with his sleeve, and the way his hand dropped back to his side -

His eyes never left hers, not once.

She managed to croak out, weakly - "What?"

An annoyed look flittered over his face, "Do I have to _repeat_ myself? Aho. I said, will you -"

And Kazuha closed her eyes, shivering against her will. She'd - she'd - dear god, she'd dreamed ever since she was little of having someone propose to her, and she dreamed of it being a fantastic, magical moment. She dreamed of the old-fashioned things, where the guy got down on his knees and gazed up into the girl's eyes, a velvet box clutched in his fist, as the magic words spilled forth from his lips. That was what she wanted, real, true love, even though she knew that she could _never_ fall in love, _never, ever _-

She was confused, so painfully confused.

"What?" she repeated, blinking at him, trying to convince herself that this was nothing but a dream.

"Don't get me wrong!" He backed away from her, getting into a defensive stance, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's not like... it's not like I _love_ you or anything!" He huffed and turned away from her. "It's just that - my parents made me this deal, okay? Either I pick my own bride or they pick her for me! I - I just don't want to marry a total stranger, that's all! Even if you're nothing but an idiot, at least I know _you_ -"

Kazuha's world shattered.

As did her temper.

"YOU _AHO_!" She was screaming, and she was vaguely aware of everybody's eyes on her. The music kept on playing, but nobody paid attention to it. "How - how _dare you_ - how could you ask me something like that? Something that important, something that precious - just because you don't want to get married to a total stranger? You have got to be the biggest idiot on this planet! Go - go and _drown yourself, you **jackass**_!"

And right then and there - in the middle of the ballroom, with everybody, including _royalty_ and others of high social importance, Kazuha threw the remainder of her bowl of rice over his head.

And then fled.

-.-

Dead, strained silence.

Heiji was frozen numb.

Shinichi had blinked about a thousand times in the past ten seconds.

Ran was biting her ilp.

Aoko was staring, completely silent.

Kaito was stifling a laugh.

Oh, no. She did _not_ -

Heiji tensed, all too aware of the stares he had attracted from just about every single person in the entire room.

She did _not_ just throw rice at him.

She did _not_ just - just embarrass him in front of everybody.

She did _not_ -

She did... She did NOT...

She did _not_ just reject him.

Heiji roughly pushed his way past all the guests, ignoring any whispers along the way; shoving them aside, creating a path for himself towards the stairs. He ran up, taking two, three steps at a time, hands gripping the railing tightly.

Everything flashed by him in a blur. He was running down this hallway, taking a left down this other one, running past other hallways and doors until he abruptly came to a halt in front of this one. It was different from the others. Darker. Older.

He pounded loudly, angrily on the door.

Her voice came out muffled yet clear at the same time. "GO AWAY, AHO!"

By now, it was instinctive to just argue with her: "No!"

A loud groan. "Go. Away!"

"No!"

"WHY?"

"...uh.." For once, Heiji fell silent. Why _was_ he here? He had been silent for far too long, because he heard her snort, loudly. "Because!" he said, struggling for the words, "You - you completely _embarrassed_ me out there, in front of all those people -"

"Oh," she said, voice rising, "_you_ were embarrassed? Serves you damn right; going and - and asking _that_! What's wrong with you? You don't just go up to random people and propose!" A length of silence, and then - "AHO!"

He clenched his hands into fists. "I didn't just ask a _random_ person; I asked _you_!"

An audible gasp from the other end of the door. Heiji froze as he realized what he'd just said. He quickly tried to cover it up; he hadn't just said - he didn't actually - he hadn't actually _said_ that - had he?

"...because..." he began, weakly. Oh, crud. Crud, crud, crud. "...like I said, at least..." The wheels in his head began turning rapidly, "...I _know_ who you are, and.." Gosh, he wished he could cut off his tongue at this point, "...hell, I'd rather marry an idiot like you than some - some other stuck up... stuck up princess I've never met! I mean.." She hadn't said anything, and he was growing nervous, and whenever that happened, he tended to babble, like he was doing _now_... "I mean... you know... I can live with you, if I - if I have to -"

Open mouth, insert foot. What was he talking about? He didn't_ want_ to live with her..

"No." Her voice came in through the door, quiet and strained.

"No?" he repeated, bewildered.

"No. I'm not marrying you."

"What? _Why_?"

"Why?" She threw open the door, hands on hips, glaring defiantly at him. "Because we don't _love_ each other, aho!" He narrowed his eyes; were those tears he detected?

"Well - " he blinked, slightly flustered. Of course, she was right - it wasn't like - it wasn't like he _loved_ her.

He tried to keep that in mind as he reached out wiped away the tears that were trickling slowly, one by one, down her cheeks. His hand shook slightly as he withdrew it.

"Stop crying," he finally said, flatly.

"Shut up," she murmured, cheeks turning slightly pink.

He reached into his pockets for a handkerchief; he was sure there was one in there somewhere. He handed it, a bit awkwardly to her. The handkerchief was a light green, with light orange stripes. She took it after a moment of hesitation.

Silence settled in. Heiji seemed to remember who he was, who she was, and how their relationship was supposed to be. He met her eyes quickly, shrugged a goodbye, and walked off.

If he was disappointed, he didn't show it, and he didn't admit it to himself either.

-.-

Kazuha closed the door slowly, tearing her eyes away from his retreating back. She swallowed and sagged against the door. Her heart was pounding erratically. Even now, he had still had such an effect on her.. even when.. even after all - darn it, even after all the crap he pulled, he still - he still sent her heart racing, still sent her knees weak..

She stumbled clumsily onto her bed and collapsed on top of it, face down.

_"Will you marry me?"_

"No," she whispered, shaking her head rapidly. "No, no, no. I - I can't."

But, she thought, dizzily, hadn't there been some - some sort of weird, almost unidentifiable emotion on his face?

_"Will you marry me?"_

"I can't," she repeated.

Even if her heart told her otherwise.

-.-

"Don't tell me that that was nothing," Shinichi told him, voice flat, voice cool. "You made a scene in front of everybody. Not even _you_ would do something like _that_."

Heiji glared out the window. He could see the moon rising in the sky. "It was nothing."

Shinichi shot him a Look.

Heiji glowered at his feet. "Iaskedhertomarryme."

Shinichi blinked.

Heiji raised his head defiantly, as if challenging Shinichi to say something. "I asked.." he paused, biting his lip, "...her to marry me."

Utter, deafening silence.

Shinichi blinked rapidly, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. "I - " He closed his mouth. "You - " He scowled. "Wait a minute, did - " He reached up to scratch his head bewilderedly. "You mean, you - " He shook his head and settled for narrowing his eyes at Heiji, "Are you _high_ on something?"

_Thud._

Heiji shot Shinichi a look that had killed lesser men from his position on the floor. "No," he bit out, harshly, "I am _not -_ I am _not_ high on anything."

Shinichi reached up to rub at his temples. "Well, then, Hattori, enlighten me. Just last week you were complaining about how rude and awful she was; when did you suddenly fall for her?"

"I didn't!" The words flew out of his mouth automatically. Heiji glared - "Careful, Hattori, or your face will get stuck that way." - and lowered his voice. "I'm not in love with her."

His heart twitched.

Heiji felt like ripping it out and stomping on it and yelling at it to stop acting so stupid.

"So why did you propose?" Heiji scowled; Shinichi had on that "Answer-my-questions-because-I'm-the-smartest-guy-in-the-world-and-you-need-my-help-because-you-just-screwed-yourself-over-big-time" look on his face.

"Because I made a deal with my parents, that's why."

"A deal?" Shinichi quirked an eyebrow.

"They told me that they'd give me a month.." Heiji leaned against the wall, an annoyed grimace on his face. "To find a girl to marry. Because - they said that I needed to find a bride, that it was high time I got one. If not, they'd just - they'd just pick one for me. I'm not about to let them pick some random _lady_ they find for me. I'm not."

"So you asked Kazuha-san."

"Because!" Heiji sputtered. "At least - at least, I know _her_, right?"

"So you're saying," Shinichi said, frowning slightly, "that you'd rather spend your life with _her_, this - this 'servant girl' as you love to call her, this girl that has been antagonizing you since Day One - you'd rather spend your life with _her_ than anybody else?"

Heiji paused, digesting his words. And then, once they fully registered, he reddened. "Idiot!" he spat, trying to keep down the blush that was threatening to spill over his face. "I didn't - I didn't say that! Don't put words in my mouth!"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Okay. Then why, exactly, did you ask her to marry you?"

"Because - I just told you! At least I know her, and I'd rather marry somebody that I _know_ than some total stranger -"

"But why did it have to be Kazuha-san?"

Heiji was growing frustrated. "Well, what, did you want me to ask _Neechan_?"

Shinichi shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You're missing the point, Hattori." Shinichi tapped his chin with his finger. "There was a reason that you asked Kazuha-san. You understand what marriage is and what a big commitment it is; you wouldn't simply ask somebody you _know_ to marry you. If you didn't understand the full consequences of marriage, maybe you would - but you obviously do. Otherwise you would have been fine with your parents just choosing your bride for you. But you weren't, and... okay, when your parents first approached you with this deal, who was the first person you thought of?"

Heiji paused. And began to curse.

"Dammit," he said, and Shinichi smirked.

-.-

She couldn't sleep.

She'd spent most of the entire night crying. Why? She didn't know. She didn't understand. She'd said no. She'd said no. She hadn't wanted to say yes. No. Why should she have said yes? She - she hated him, and he hated her, and the only reason he asked her was because - it was a stupid reason. It wasn't like he loved her.

And it wasn't like she loved him.

No.

She threw off her blankets, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. She slipped on her slippers and, without thinking, grabbed a jacket hanging off the chair. It was too dark; she didn't see what she grabbed. All she knew was that this room, in this castle, was stifling. It was _his_ room. _His_ castle. She couldn't take it. She had to leave. She needed to leave, to escape, just for a little bit, at least..

She wrapped the jacket around her trembling figure as she silently crept out the door. It brought her warmth and comfort, and she held it tighter. It was the only thing keeping her safe, out in the chilly air.

-.-

He couldn't sleep.

He tossed and turned endlessly, pulling the covers on when it got too cold, and then throwing them off when the heat grew to be too much for him. He felt like tearing the sheets to pieces; that's what he really felt like doing.

Ugh.

She'd said no.

So what? Heiji reasoned. It wasn't like he'd expected for her to just suddenly jump into his arms proclaiming her undying love for him.

Not that that sounded too bad..

Oh.

Shut up, shut up, shut up. Heiji buried his head under his pillow.

_Crap_.

Now he had to go to the bathroom. He threw his sheets off of his body and stumbled out of bed, bumping into his drawers in the process. Biting back a curse, he blinked until his eyes adjusted to the dark. He slowly made his way to the bathroom and was about to enter when a sound pierced his ears.

Music.

He froze.

Not just any music. It was that song, _the_ song -

Her song.

He scowled, the more cynical part of him demanding, what in the world is she doing, _singing_, in the middle of the night?

His feet didn't seem to mind, because they kept dragging him over to the window.

He swallowed. Hard.

There she was, clad in a white nightgown, with - with _his_ jacket draped loosely over her form. She looked good in it, he noted, against his will. (and still, in his mind, a bitter voice shouted, she said no, she said no, she said no...)

_"Hold me tight.."_

And then it was the strangest thing, as if his vision was blurring and his mind was playing tricks on him. But then his memory took him back to that day, so long ago, when he'd first met that girl with the pigtails under the swings. Singing.

_"How long has it been since I fell in love with you?"_

And then going back to now, with her, so ethereal under the moonlight..

_"...strong enough to break me..."_

Until they - the little girl with pigtails, and her, Kazuha, the servant girl who'd put him under her spell, entirely against his will - they merged together into one.

His arms, previously pressing up against the window, dropped limply to his sides.

He couldn't rip his eyes away from her. His breathing was ragged.

"It's you.." he breathed.

**- to be continued - **

(ducks from flying tomatoes and random sharp objects) Okay. Yeah. It's been... a really long time since I updated. And I'm sorry, I really am! School's been a mighty pain in the rear; plus the plot bunnies for this fic ran away from me. Meh. I'll keep this short and sweet. I don't know when my next update will be. So just kinda bear with me, neh? Thanks so much for the reviews; I love you all!

_Candyland_ - yup yup! You caught the reference! xD That very beginning scene in Chapter 1 _was_ slightly adapted and taken from _The Swan Princess_. Oh, boy, I loved that movie as a kid. I think I watched it.. what, at least ten times? Haha. And yeah, _Ever After_.. I wasn't actually thinking of the movie while I was writing it, but now that you pointed it out, I can see the similarities. Ahh. I liked that movie, too. xD

See you guys soon!


	11. Crossing the Bridge

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan.

**Chapter 11**: Crossing the Bridge

Heiji shot Shinichi a look of utter hate, a look of utter loathing - a look that he was well-known for, a look that had killed lesser men. Shinichi took it without so much as a flinch, simply smiling coolly in the face of danger.

"Give me one reason," Heiji hissed, "Kudo, give me one reason not to kill you right now."

Kaito piped up behind them. "Because then Ran-san would kill you."

Heiji huffed and turned away, anger fading and being replaced by irritation - and... anxiety? No. Of course not. "...ggh."

"It won't be that bad," Shinichi said lightly, making a halfhearted attempt to reassure the dark-skinned teen. "Really, it won't. Maybe you can apologize."

Heiji's eyes flashed. "I have nothing to apologize for. Stupid girl - _she's_ the one who should be apologizing.."

Kaito shrugged. "Well, look at it this way. You'll have twenty-four hours alone with her to settle all your issues."

Heiji _glared_.

-.-

"You're kidding."

Ran cringed and backed away from the girl. She wasn't even acting _angry_, which only served to make her more frightening. Instead, Kazuha sat on the bed with an expression of the calm before a storm. She stared, unblinkingly, at Ran. She repeated her words, louder - "You're kidding."

"No.." Ran bit her lip. "There's only room enough for two people in a carriage. And - well - the only way we'll get everybody to fit will be if - if - if you stay with Hattori-kun.."

Kazuha closed her eyes briefly. Ran didn't miss the look of - of _pain_? - that shot across her face.

"If it's really too much for you," Ran offered, "I could always just stay with you, and I'm sure Shinichi won't mind staying with Hattori-kun.."

"No." Kazuha shook her head. Her voice was empty. "It's okay."

Ran bit her lip again, almost hard enough to draw blood. "Ka...zuha-chan?"

Kazuha fell back against the bed, putting her arm over her eyes. "Did I - Did I ever tell you what - what he did? At the ball."

"No." Ran had heard the news, of course, from Shinichi. But that had been from Heiji's point of view, and as a fellow female, Kazuha's side would prove to be more enlightening.

Kazuha laughed, dryly. "He asked me to marry him." She shook her head. "And you know _why_? All so that he wouldn't have to marry some other girl. Because at least he _knows_ me, or so he says. Idiot. That...idiot.."

Ran sighed and plopped down next to her. "Hattori-kun.." She struggled for words. "He's - I know that it's really, _really_ hard to see it at times.. but he really is a good guy. You can see that, can't you?"

Kazuha let out a sigh. "Yeah.."

That was, after all, the reason that - that no matter how much she wanted to, no matter whatever he did to antagonize her or make her life even more miserable -

She just couldn't bring herself to hate him.

-.-

She carried her bags down the stairs in the immense castle. The skies were overcast today, she noticed as she stepped out of the giant building. She adjusted her grip on her bags and tilted her head back, then to the side, to get rid of that annoying pain in her shoulder.

That was when she felt someone taking the bag from her.

She whirled around and met _his_ eyes. Piercing jade eyes. They stared at her, unblinkingly, unemotionally. She swallowed before averting her eyes to look at - anything - the _sky_, even - and murmured, "What are you doing?"

"Taking the bag from you." He said it in such a way that even despite her apathetic mood, her temper shot up.

"I can see _that_," she snapped. "I mean - _why_?"

A pause. She turned around to look at him.

"You looked like you were having trouble with it." He shrugged his shoulders.

She huffed and turned away. She didn't want to have to deal with him. She didn't want to have to see him. She didn't want to have to talk to him. The emotions - a confusing whirlwind flooding her entire mind, body, and soul, were too much for her by itself. Having him, physically there, would just make things worse.

But despite that, she knew - she knew that she was going to be spending the next day, in a carriage, alone with him.

Good god.

-.-

"You ready?" Ran asked her, smiling for the both of them.

Kazuha sighed. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Ran gave her a quick hug before entering her carriage. Kazuha glared halfheartedly at her own carriage before stepping up and climbing in. She said a few prayers as she sat there, sighing to herself.

Then the door swung open. She forced herself not to look at him as he entered and shut the door behind him. He was pressed up against the opposite side of the carriage, in the exact same way that she had squeezed herself against her side. There were a few inches worth of space between them, for which she was glad.

The driver glanced at the two of them, chuckled to himself, and pulled on the reins.

Off they went.

-.-

The snow wouldn't stop falling.

Ahead of them, Ran and Shinichi's carriage swept across the snow easily. Peering outside, Kazuha could see snowflakes falling, littering the ground. Like stars, falling from the sky.

Beside her, _he_ sat, a look of indifference pasted across his face. Kazuha shook herself quickly and forced herself to look away.

His words had had a bigger effect on her than she'd have liked to show: _"Will you marry me?" _Outside, she'd merely spit out the rice in her mouth and yelled at him for even asking such a thing. Inside, her heart had pounded, loudly, _joyfully_, and screamed at her mouth to say yes.

But it had all been for him - a selfish desire on his part. _"I just don't want to marry a total stranger," _he'd said, _"at least, I know **you**."_

What was she thinking?

It wasn't like she...

It wasn't like she...

_"Kazuha-chan,"_ Ran told her, a serious expression on her face, _"I think you actually love him."_

No... No, gods, no! She couldn't - she couldn't. He was a prince. She was a servant. It was never meant to be... it would never work out. She was never even supposed to meet him, never supposed to come into contact with him!

She risked a glance at him and quickly looked away. Even now... even now, her heart pounded merely at the sight of him.

"What's wrong with you?" His brash, crude tone cut into the silence.

"N - Nothing!" she quickly defended herself. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears. _Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump._

"You.." He looked like he might want to say something, but thought better of it and shook his head. "...nothing. Never mind."

He did this to her often, and it drove her off the wall. "What?" she demanded, loudly, inching closer to him. "If you've got something to say, then say it to my face!"

He sat there, silent.

"What?" she repeated, louder this time. She was too angry to notice that she'd gotten closer to him again, faces mere inches apart. "What is it? You do this to me all the time, _Prince_ -" the word was spat out in a mocking sense, not at all respectful, "and I'm growing tired of it. Either you have something to say, or you don't!"

He turned, and their eyes met. Kazuha shivered.

"I don't."

Which only served to make Kazuha angrier, and she glared, her most furious glare at him, "Now, listen, you -"

And was cut off as he grabbed her hand.

"You.." he croaked, softly.

Kazuha froze.

But then the magic was torn apart as the carriage suddenly veered off course, turning on its side. Letting out a short shriek, Kazuha found herself directly on top of Heiji, his arms encircling her body protectively. She gasped at the sensation as they tumbled out the door and onto the soft snow.

"Are you okay?" he barked, using a tone that Kazuha had come to recognize he only used when worried. She stared at him, dumbfounded, from her position on top of him, and he shouted, louder, "Are you okay?"

"I - yes," she managed to stammer out, and he pushed her off of him and went to check on the driver. She sat there, the snow chilling her to the bone.

"Hey - hey!" He shook their driver violently. She could see a lump on his head, and the blood that trickled down from it. "Hey!" He put two fingers to his throat, checking for a pulse. A defeated look crossed his face - one that Kazuha didn't like - as he turned to face her, "he's dead."

The news sent a numbness through her - the last time she'd seen somebody dead was - was -

He was shaking her now. "Snap out of it!" he yelled, brusquely. "Kudo's carriage has gone too far ahead. I'm sure that eventually they'll figure out that we're gone, and they'll come back. But - but, if you can, it might be best to start walking so that we can have a chance to catch up to them."

He held out a hand to her.

Kazuha gazed up at his face, searching. Ignoring her pounding heart, she took his hand and followed him into the snow.

/-/

They had been walking for hours, with no carriage in sight. Every so often, she turned her head, saying a silent prayer for their driver. The action did not go unnoticed by Heiji, who cocked his head and snorted in annoyance.

"It's fine, okay?" he said.

"What do you mean, 'it's fine'?" Kazuha retorted, finding it unbelievable that there could be such an insensitive jerk on this planet.

"I mean," he said, "that - that he's in a better place now."

Kazuha froze for an instant. Heiji turned to look at her. "Yeah," she said, quietly. "They are... right?"

He frowned at her. "What are you ta -" He broke off in a horrid, hacking cough. Kazuha winced at the harshness of it and stared directly at him.

"Are you... okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." He waved her off, still coughing, and Kazuha noticed that his lips had turned blue. "I'm fine."

She didn't believe him. "Look, we can take a rest if you -" She was cut off as he suddenly collapsed, face-first, on the snow. For a moment, the only thing she could do was stand there and gape, but jerked as she heard his weak, frail voice..

_"Kazuha.."_

Her name, through his lips, in his voice, jolted her out of it, and she knelt down and fumbled through the snow for his arms. She gingerly lifted him up so that his head was awkwardly on her lap.

His eyes were quickly drifting shut.

"No!" she yelled, shaking him violently. "You..." Her voice died off as his eyes finally closed. "No! Dammit, you wake up right this instant or I'll - or I'll - " She trembled and buried her face in his chest - _god, he was cold_ - "Please," she whispered, desperately, "wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up."

_Don't die._

Finally regaining her senses, Kazuha pressed two fingers to his wrist, checking for a pulse. It was there, but it was faint. He was still unconscious.

"Even if you are the biggest jerk on this planet," she said, but her voice was still trembling and tears were threatening to spill from her eyes, "I - I can't let you - you die, so - so -" She grabbed him by the waist, stumbling awkwardly as she struggled to stand up.

She dragged him through the snow, growing steadily weaker as she did so. He grew colder and colder, and she took a deep breath and continued on.

"I'm not going to let you die," she told him, determinedly, "I'm not. I'm not. I - I can't."

The snow continued to fall as she stumbled forward.

- to be continued -


	12. You

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan, or the song.

**Chapter 12: You**

She couldn't stop coughing.

And still she dragged him behind her, through the snow. His lips were blue. His skin was pale. And she felt afraid, she felt so, very, very afraid.

_Don't die._

_Don't die._

It was like a mantra, playing over and over and over in her head and she pulled him through the freezing snow, a blizzard of white crystals swirling around them. Her heart thudded in her chest, and she coughed, and coughed, and coughed.

What was she going to do now?

She never stopped. She kept going and going, pushing through. But what was she going to do? Here they were, stuck in the middle of a ferocious blizzard, with no towns, cities, or any amenities in sight. She couldn't keep dragging him through the snow forever. He needed help..

She paused, clenching her eyes shut as a wave of nasty coughs took over.

She fell to her knees, gasping for breath. It was cold. She had a jacket on, but it was not enough for this kind of weather. Her coughs grew louder and louder.

_Oh, god_.

She couldn't stop, she couldn't stop now. Not after having dragged him all this way..

"Hey."

She jerked around at the feel of somebody tugging her sleeve. She caught a glimpse of concerned - _concerned_? - green eyes before blacking out.

-.-

"Dammit," he exhaled, lifting her into his arms, grunting slightly at the effort. He was still weak from the cold, tired, and hungry. But just as he had come into consciousness, _she'd_ decided to go and faint on him..

"Probably did it on purpose," he muttered.

He glared at her unconscious form, her face slightly angled towards him. He eyes roamed her face, her closed eyes, her dark lashes, her nose -

Her _lips_.

"Idiot." He continued to glare at her.

But - and he decided to walk through the snow at this point - no amount of glaring would get her to wake up, and he needed to.. hell, he needed to get them to some kind of a town, or village, or city, or _something_. Because he was still weak and tired, and she.. she was..

She was so _cold_.

Her skin was so _pale_.

"You - you -" He struggled for words, eyes landing on her face, her closed eyes, "don't you _dare_ die on me - I'll _kill_ you if you do."

He closed his eyes and sighed exasperatedly.

What now?

"The only thing I can do," he murmured to himself, "is to - is to keep going."

In the cold, relentless snow, he walked forward.

-.-

She was dreaming. She was aware of it; something told her in the back of her mind. Mists rolled beneath her feet, curling up, up, up.

She was sick. Her head pounded, her heart ached. Her skin was numb from the cold.

And somebody was holding her.

Warm, comfortable arms, locked securely around her waist and her shoulders. Instinctively, she curled up against this figure that offered her this comfort, and snuggled closer to him. So warm, she thought, so warm..

In his arms, nothing could ever go wrong.

"Warm," she murmured, burying herself even closer into his chest.

-.-

Heiji, meanwhile, was beet-_freaking_-red.

She was the most - infuriating, complicated person on this entire planet. How could she hate him with a burning passion one moment, and then - and then _snuggle into him_ the next? His whole being was telling him to drop her in the snow and ditch her, if only to preserve his sanity. But he didn't.

He couldn't.

"You're her," he murmured, eyes roaming her face - paler than usual, lashes dotted with snowflakes, hair sprinkled with white. Shining, shimmering. "That girl.."

That girl that he hadn't been able to forget about, even after all these years.

The fact that he still remembered her song - _their_ song, some fiercely possessive voice inside of him insisted - was proof of that.

But what now? What good would it do him, in the end? Would he tell her? What if she didn't remember? A memory he had cherished so deeply - if she had dismissed it without a second thought, he didn't think he would be able to face her without his heart cracking -

Wait.

Why would that be? Why -

His heart pounded painfully.

He was suddenly aware of feeble fingers clutching at his chest. He looked down instantly, almost.. fearful. Her eyes fluttered open for an instant; her lips lifted in a soft smile; then everything was silent again.

That smile.

_Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump_.

This wasn't normal. His gulped and tore his eyes away from her. She was - she was - she was _poison_ to him -

He forced himself to keep going, and tried not to notice how perfect it felt, having his arms wrapped around her.

-.-

Distantly, if he squinted, he could see a village at the end. A poor, small one, with small buildings, small huts. He was nearly chilled to the bone now, and he could barely feel his fingers and toes. Still, _she_ slept on, her head resting against his chest. Completely, utterly oblivious.

As always.

He swore at her, many, many words - all the words he knew, some of which he didn't even know the meaning - and then sighed and pulled her closer.

Screw the fact that she looked really, _really_ pretty right now! With her hair coming out of its usual ponytail.. strands of dark brown curling across her face.. long, dark lashes that cast shadows over her cheeks...

Her thin figure - too thin, he thought to himself - in his arms.

Stop.

She was - she was a _servant_. He was a _prince_. They were worlds apart. Society - society would frown down upon it; he would never - he should never -

...have fallen in love.

He closed his eyes. _Dammit_.

And she was completely unaware of this. Sleeping peacefully in his arms. Baiting him. Luring him. With every accusing word she uttered, with every fierce glare she sent his way, with every rare smile -

She made him fall for him, even more, even harder, than before.

But he had to face it. It would never work out. Not that he was one to care about the values of society - but - but it was blindingly obvious that she loathed him, and to reveal any sort of affectionate feelings for her with undoubtedly just _disgust_ her, and he couldn't - he couldn't do that; watch that look of disgust cross her face when here he was, baring his heart and soul to her...

"Just don't think about it," he said. "Just don't, just don't.."

-.-

In the back of his mind, he remembered a petite woman, dark brown hair - just like _hers_ - and sparkling green eyes - just like _hers_, as well - rushing breathlessly to his side. He was seven.

"Do you remember a small young girl?" she asked, kindly. "Green eyes, like mine. Hair, same color as mine, but put up - either in a ponytail, or in pigtails. Do you remember her?"

A vague picture of the described girl fluttered across Heiji's mind. He paused, trying to remember.

"She sang you a song," the woman went on, undeterred.

"A song," Heiji repeated. "Yeah. A song.."

_"I fell in love with you... how long has it been since then?"_

Heiji found himself opening his mouth and singing along with her - it was instinct, as if the song had embedded itself within him.

_"Will the feeling do nothing but swell, or will you notice it, even though I've never said anything?"_

A joyful smile lit up the stranger's face, and she handed him a jacket, a dark, chocolate-colored jacket. "This is for you. From her." At his questioning look, she went on, "I'm a seamstress - her - her mother." A dark look crossed her face. "Was." She bit her lip and forced herself to go on. "She helped me to make it. She couldn't stop talking about you; she never forgot you, even after two years.."

He didn't know why, but Heiji found hiimself accepting the jacket, putting it on. It was too large on him, and an irritated look flashed across his face. The woman smiled.

"We purposely made it larger," she said, "so that you could wear it when you're older."

He looked up at her, a wondering expression on his face.

"So that you can wear it when you meet her again."

-.-

And as he continued to stare down at her, a feeling knotted itself into his heart, in his chest. He shuddered. He shook himself in an attempt to free himself from those feelings, but no matter wha the did, they wouldn't let go. They were - they were a _part_ of him, now.

_How long has it been since I fell in love with you?_

It didn't matter, some voice inside of him said, softly, quietly, yet loudly at the same time, if it had been a day, a week, a month, a year, or a century. Either way, you _still_ fell for her, _hard_, and you're not about to stop any time soon.

She shifted in his arms, turning her head so that he caught a full glimpse of her profile. Small nose, delicate cheeks, dark brown bangs contrasting against her pale, chilled skin.

Her lips.

Blue. Frosted over with a light, sparkling sheen of ice.

He was suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

_Ba-bump, bump, bump._

Was that his heartbeat? Pounding furiously, erratically, against his rib cage?

This didn't make any sense. Nothing made any sense anymore. Not since he'd met her.

He didn't know anymore.

He didn't care anymore.

Against every fiber of his being, against every reasonable word of caution his mind uttered, he leaned forward and took her lips for his - two, in one.

He pulled away, aghast. The memory of her soft lips against his - it had felt - it had felt so, unimaginably perfect..

But it was time to face it.

He pressed his lips together, trying to remember her taste.

It could never be.

- to be continued -

The last couple of lines, "But it was time to face it... it could never be" was sort of a subconscious shout-out to the song "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. I think the exact lyrics were, "But it's time to face the truth... I can never be with you."

I'm going to keep it short and simple - sorry, sorry, sorry! for taking horrendously long to update. Much thanks to Lyn "Jarewo" Wors and Candyland for getting my rear into shape and getting me to update. xD


	13. A Kiss

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Detective Conan.

The chapter is short, excruciatingly so. It's probably really obvious at this point that I've lost _all_ interest in the story and am literally forcing myself to write some sort of decent ending just so my conscience is clear. I know - I'm awesome, right? xD

**Chapter 13**: A Kiss

"Put me down."

Heiji glared defiantly at the girl in his arms. "No way in hell."

"Put me down." Spoken a little bit louder this time.

"Are you insane? You can barely walk. You're freezing cold. You know as well as I do that the moment I put you down, you're going to fall on your face."

Kazuha sighed and tried not to _feel_ too much. His arms, embracing her figure, his scent, overpowering her.

And maybe what terrified her most of all..

...was the fact that she _liked_ it, that she _liked_ being in his arms, that she - that she _liked_ feeling vulnerable around him. And then she hated him at the same time for it, wanted to bash his head against the nearest wall -

The snow was cold, the skies gray. She wondered if Ran had noticed their absence by now. Perhaps she was already married. A wistful smile crossed her face at the thought. It was really just her luck that things would turn out this way.

"Don't worry."

She glanced up at him.

"Knowing them, they won't go through with it unless we're there. So we'll still see their wedding. I promise you."

_I promise you_.

Why was it that the mere sound of these three words made her feel like everything would be all right?

She buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes.

---

"Oi. You. Wake up."

Kazuha twitched.

"Listen up. We're about ten feet away from the church and if you don't wake up in the next ten seconds I'm ditching you and going in without you."

Kazuha's eyes shot open. "_What_?"

He eyed her, an amused expression playing on his face. "You've been out for almost the entire day. In that day, I've managed to catch a ride and here we are. They know we're here and _you're_ holding up the wedding."

Kazuha blinked. "But - but -"

"Get up." Here he grasped her by the arm and pulled her up to her feet. She wobbed slightly. "Can you make it?" Kazuha must have been delirious, for she thought she heard some concern in his voice.

"Yeah. Just give me a sec." She stood there for a moment, holding onto his sleeve. "Oh. My head.." She shook her head to clear herself of her delirium.

"If you can't make it, you can just - well - " He was stammering now, and _that_ certainly caught her attention. " - well - hold onto me."

Kazuha _gaped_.

"What did you just say?"

"I was just trying to be _nice_," he retorted, deliberately avoiding any sort of eye contact. "But if you can make it on your own, then, hey, I guess you don't need _me_ -" And here he let go of her.

She fell forward.

Face pressed against his chest.

"Dammit," he swore. "You all right?"

She smiled weakly at him. "Guess I'll be holding onto you then."

"Idiot," he muttered, but slipped an arm around her and led her into the church anyway.

---

"Are you all right?" Ran fussed over her like an overprotective mother and Kazuha had to swipe at her hands.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said, hastily, "I'm still alive and I'm standing on two feet - "

"Barely," Heiji interjected.

" - shut up -" she said with a glare, "so just go and get married already. Because if I went through this for nothing, then I'll really slap you, _lady_ or not."

Ran rolled her eyes and gave the girl a quick hug. "All right. All right."

---

Heiji stood there, trying to look at _any other place but her_. It didn't work out very well. For some reason, his eyes were drawn to her figure and he wanted to gouge his eyes out at the mere thought. Damn, he thought, why can't I stop looking at her?

She was still pale. She leaned against the pews for support. She looked like she could barely stand.

Ran was striding up the aisle. Kudo was smiling, albeit nervously. Heiji bit back a chuckle at that thought.

The priest was saying something. Heiji wasn't entirely sure what. His eyes were transfixed on the pale-skinned girl in front of him, who was - who was such a goddamned pain in the ass and if he'd been in his right mind he would've left her to freeze in the snow, screw the consequences -

In the background, Ran and Shinichi kissed.

She still looked sick, though. Cold. Chilled. She'd been out for so long, though, and somewhere inside of him, he had to admit that he'd been worried. So, so worried.

What was wrong with him?

She was a servant, just a _servant_. And he was a prince.

And that time in the snow -

He'd _kissed_ her.

And it had felt _good_.

So here he was, standing in front of the church. The crowd was applauding and the newlyweds were making their way back to the exit of the church.

She was standing there, leaning heavily, rubbing at her forearms in an attempt to make herself warm.

And why the hell was he so far away from her anyway?

He crossed over to her and took her into his arms.

---

"What are you _doing_?" She glared daggers at him. "We're - we're out here in _public_, for crying out loud, and -"

"You're cold." He said, shortly.

She blinked. "Yes. I am. What about it?"

"It's pissing me off."

"_What_?"

"Look. I - I kept you safe for all of this time, even when you were half-buried in snow. I'm sure as hell not going to let you get sick _now_ after all the crap I had to go through."

"What lovely language, _Prince_."

"It's Heiji." He swore inwardly as soon as the words left his mouth.

She whirled to face him so fast he was surprised her neck didn't crack. "Okay. What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Nothing." He was lying straight through his teeth.

"Nothing?" She tilted her head to the side and gave him a Look. "Don't give me that."

An odd feeling coursed through the pit of his stomach. "You _really_ want to know what's wrong?"

She looked at him. "Well. Yeah. You're acting - really, really weird, and to tell you the truth, it's creeping me out."

"There's - There's something I've been wanting to do. And it's - it's really weird. Kind of stupid, actually. But I can't help it, I just... I don't even know _why_, but I want to - I _have_ to do it."

She continued to stare at him. "Well, then - do it."

"All right then." And he grasped her shoulders gently, leaned down, and kissed her.

---

"Well, then - do it." She was incredulous. Why was he telling her any of this anyway? There was something seriously wrong with this man's head - though she'd kind of figured that out from the beginning.

"All right then." Oh, god. Why were his hands on her shoulders? Why was she _enjoying_ his touch? There surely had to be some law against this - and then he kissed her.

She froze.

And then kissed him back.

_Screw the consequences_, she thought.

**- to be continued -**

Okay. Yeah - before you throw anything at me... I'M SORRY! I'm sorry, I really, really am... but you have to understand that I was drained, I was _so_ drained.. mentally (school), physically (school), emotionally (school and personal issues). I couldn't bring myself to write anything while being bombarded with all this crap for school and it was just.. god, it was hell.

But now it's summer and my HeijixKazuha muse is peeking out from its little shell. I have to admit that I really have no interest in this story anymore.. but I hate it when I read stories that I really love and the author never updates and just leaves it hanging. As it's summer and I have no plans whatsoever, I _do_ plan on finishing this story. Most likely by the next chapter. Yep.

Again, I'm truly, truly sorry!


	14. Happy Endings and Whatnot

**Disclaimer**: Still don't own anything.

**Chapter 14**: Happy Endings and Whatnot

"You kissed me."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes. I kissed you."

She was silent, contemplating this. "...why?"

"Damned if I know," he mumbled, scowling and staring at the ground.

She stared at him, considering. "Did you like it?"

He stared right back. What kind of a mood was she in _this_ time? "Did you?" he shot back.

"I asked you first."

But she seemed to be thinking about something else now. Her gaze was focused on his shoulders - on his jacket. She blinked. "That jacket.."

He looked down. "Yeah?"

"Ran told me that you got it from your - from your _first love_."

He smirked. "Is that jealousy I hear?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and whirled around. "Fine. I don't care."

"You're crazy," he said, "didn't anybody ever tell you not to listen to everything everybody tells you?"

"So it's not true?" She eyed him, gaze narrowed.

"No, no. I picked it up somewhere. Some little town."

Kazuha stared at him for a while, and then shrugged. "Okay." But she was decidedly happier. And as she exited the church, he watched, and finally figured it out.

-.-

"I've decided," he said, his voice even and clear. HIs parents fixed their eyes on him, waiting.

"Decided?"

"On -" And he hesitated, just a little bit, before stumbling blindly forward, " - on who I'm to marry."

"And?"

"I want to marry.." And still he was afraid, and he cursed himself for being so weak, for being so undecided. Adrenaline kept him going. "...her."

"Her." There was no question in the statement; they knew full well who he was talking about. His mother asked, "What's her name, again?"

He hated saying her name. The sound of it, as the syllables rolled off his tongue, made him feel awkward, all squirmy inside. He took a deep breath. "Toyama... Kazuha."

His father's tone was cool and brusque. "The servant girl."

Heiji closed his eyes. "Yeah."

"You do realize that your worlds are vastly different," his father went on, tone devoid of any trace of emotion, "you're a prince, she's a servant. If you were to marry her, she would be out of place, very much so. You realize that, don't you?"

"Well, maybe I don't care." His voice was rising, even as he struggled to control its volume. "Maybe - maybe -" But even as he said it, his resolve was crumbling. Their worlds _were_ incredibly different. What if - what if she didn't -

"Does _she_ want to marry you?"

They'd pressed the right button, the one that had kept him up late at night, wondering if she felt the same way he did. He - he thought she did; a sort of _feeling_ that had crept up on him, but still...

"...I don't know."

"And _you_ want to marry her?"

"Yes."

"You like her, then?"

"Yes."

"A lot?"

"Yes."

"Enough to marry her?"

"Yes."

"You like this girl, _that _much?"

"I love her."

Silence. Heiji heard his father slump forward in his chair, his mother exhale. He stood his ground, never wavering.

His mother took him by surprise when she rose from her chair and strode towards him, stopping only when they were about a foot apart.

"You say you love her?"

"...yes."

"When did it start?"

"I - I don't know." Mental flashbacks, of the first time they'd met, the first time she insulted him, the first time she slapped him. The first time he made her cry. The first time he held her in his arms during that dance. The time he'd proposed to her..

The time she'd saved his life, only to endanger hers in the process.

Maybe he'd always loved her, somewhere in the back of his mind.

His mother drew him to her in a quick hug. "If she can get _that_ expression on your face, then we approve." She pulled back and smiled at him, brushing some of his hair out of his eyes. "Now. When are you going to propose?"

-.-

He found her sitting underneath the cherry blossom trees - ironic, a voice in the back of his mind thought - just staring out into the distance. She didn't notice his presence, and he took advantage of the opportunity to simply stand back and watch her.

She was so beautiful, it almost hurt to watch her.

His fingers clasped protectively around something in his pocket. He closed his eyes and stepped closer.

"Kazuha?" Even now, saying her name still made him shiver.

She turned to look at him, eyes sparkling, cheeks rosy. "Hey." She smiled and patted the spot next to her. "Sit down?"

His heart beat erratically at the sight of the smile that illuminated her face, and he proceeded to curse and swear violently inside his head. He complied and sat down beside her. They sat in comfortable silence. She was humming, that song, _their song_, under her breath. His grip tightened on the velvet box in his pocket - _now or never_. If he was going to lose her, well then... well then, he might as well make an idiot of himself now before he got _too_ attached to her -

Although he didn't think he could ever live his life without her again.

"I have something to say," he said, warily, and he watched as she tilted her head slightly to give him her full attention. "And - and it might take some time, so you'll just have to deal with it. 'Cause I don't want any interruptions, 'cause it's just going to make this entire thing harder."

An amused smile crossed her lips. "All right.."

He stood up, took a deep breath, glanced quickly at the sky - it was blue, a cloudless blue - and said a silent prayer before barreling on, "I love you."

He caught a glimpse of the wide-eyed expression on her face before charging forward, "You have no idea how _crazy_ you've driven me with all of the things you've done. You have no idea how - how you've _haunted_ me, the entire time we've known each other. You have no idea how you've scared me, how you've absolutely scared the _hell_ out of me because of all the things you've made me feel. You have no idea how much _pain and torture_ you have caused me this entire time."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off.

"And do you know what else? You have no idea how much I've _enjoyed_ these past months. With you. You and your crazy antics, you - you, _driving me insane_, you, challenging me, insulting me, hell, _slapping me_, and making me feel just about every emotion that is known to mankind, positive and negative, _and more_.

"And - this is the plain and simple truth, take it or leave it. _I can't live another day without you, so if you love me back, god help me, say you'll be my wife._"

He held out the black velvet box.

She gaped at him in disbelief.

Moments passed, and his heart began to pound so loudly he thought for sure she could hear it. He wondered what he might do if she'd said no. He didn't actually entertain the thought, knowing that it would only wreak havoc on his nerves. But she _still_ wasn't saying anything, and what the hell was he supposed to do now?

Still - nothing but stone-cold silence.

Slowly he began to withdraw his hand. "Forget it," he muttered, raking a hand through his dark hair, "I thought that you might love me too, but obviously I'm wrong -"

Her hand, smooth and soft, reached out and touched his.

"Hattori Heiji, if you don't put that ring on my hand in the next five seconds, I'll slap you. Again."

He froze, and then met her eyes. "Well," he said, deliberately slowly, "I'm probably immune to your slaps by now.."

She held out her hand expectantly. "Ring. Now."

He rolled his eyes - all for show, of course - and kneeled down, and slipped the ring on her finger. They both leaned back to admire it. She let out a giggle, and he turned to face her with raised eyebrows.

"I have the right to be happy," she said, "don't I?"

"Of course. You're marrying the greatest man on the planet."

"Is that so? I thought the greatest man on the planet was Kudo-kun."

"Watch it, woman.."

She laughed again, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him with all the strength she could muster. They toppled backwards, he making sure that he took the brunt of the fall. Not that he minded - he had _other_ things on his mind.

"So," she said, pulling back, and he locked his arms around her waist, "when's the wedding?"

"As soon as possible," he declared. "How about tomorrow?"

"...you're _kidding_ me."

Shrug.

"You're _serious_?"

"Eh. Yeah, actually. It's already all planned out; we've got everything ready."

She shot him a Look. "Confident, weren't we?"

"Not really. But I figured if you said no I could vent by throwing cake at Kudo and Kuroba."

"..." She shook her head. "...it's _tomorrow_?"

"Yeah."

"...oh, for the love of.."

-.-

"YOU!" Kazuha screeched, squeezing all the bones in Heiji's left hand. Heiji bit back curses. "YOU did this to me, YOU'RE the reason I've been throwing up in a toilet for the past NINE MONTHS and YOU'RE -"

"The reason that you're now the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl," the midwife interrupted. Kazuha fell silent and Heiji took this opportunity to remove his hand from her deadly grasp. He accepted the wailing girl and managed a smirk towards his wife, "Hey, she sounds like you."

"Shush." There was no heat in her words. There never was. She took an inward breath of air as Heiji handed her their newborn daughter. "Look at her..." She smiled at him, "we did good, didn't we?"

"Yeah. Real good."

And like all fairy tales, this one ended happily ever after.

-.-

_"If there were an eternally falling snow - this feeling I have for you... could I hide it?"_

Kazuha watched with an amused expression on her face as her husband - gosh, but it still felt so weird to say or even _think_ that - sang to their daughter of five months.

"Hey," she whispered, tiptoeing towards him. She slipped an arm around his elbow, leaning. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Hm?"

"That song. Where did you learn it? I never got to ask you."

He let out a soft laugh. "I learned it from a girl in pigtails. Cute girl. A bit annoying and bossy, though."

She turned and raised her eyebrows. "Is there something I should know?"

"No," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "That would ruin the mystery of it, wouldn't it?"

Kazuha scowled. "Heiji!"

"What?"

"You're not telling me something."

He laughed. "Okay. Remember - say, ten, fifteen.. maybe twenty years ago. I came to this small town with my parents, got lost and ended up on a playground. Then there was this girl, in pigtails, on the swings. She was singing -"

"Oh, god. That was _you_?"

He simply grinned.

She dragged him outside of their baby's room and smacked him soundly on the head. "And you never told me?"

"Well, I never really -"

"You never told me!"

"It's not a big deal," he protested, rubbing at his head. She shook her head at him.

"I never knew. Oh, I feel silly. I never knew."

"Well, now you do. Can we go to sleep now?"

"Mm. Yeah. "

They were slipping under the covers when she poked him again. "How long have you known?"

He groaned. "I don't know, 'zuha. Long time. Before we married. When we still hated each other."

"That long ago?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. Between getting stuck in the snow and getting to Kudo's wedding and proposing to you, it kind of slipped my mind."

She scowled - and then smiled. "Sing it for me."

"...what?"

"Yeah! Sing it for me."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

So he opened his mouth and sang, feeling like an idiot the entire time. She watched him, smiling, until he finally got tired of it, shut his mouth, and scowled.

"It _is _you. You screwed up the lyrics again. Just like that little boy."

"I did _not_ screw up the lyrics."

She laughed. "Sure. Let's go to sleep."

"I didn't!"

-.-

And just like Cinderella and Snow White and their respective princes, Kazuha found happiness with _her_ prince. It wasn't a perfect marriage, if by perfect one meant no fights, no bickering, no shrieks, no getting kicked out of the bedroom to sleep on the couch. Because that happened on a weekly basis, as it were.

But if a perfect marriage was based on happiness, and love - real, true, love -

Well, then, _this_ one blew Cinderella and Snow White's marriages away.

**FIN -**

Finally! Gosh. Took forever, but I finished it, and I think the ending is sweet and.. yeah. Actually I'm still blown away by the fact that it was actually finished. Millions and millions and bunches of thanks to all of you. This final chapter is for all of you for.. ya know, standing by me, not mobbing me with rotten tomatoes and eggs and whatnot. Thank you!

For those that didn't know - the song throughout the story is called _Eternal Snow_, and it's sung by Changin' My Life and is featured in _Full Moon wo Sagashite_. It's a really pretty song.

Again - thank you. Thank you thank you thank you. Words can't convey how much I've appreciated your support and your reviews.. just... wow. Thank you.


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